I Got Your Six Got Mine?
by Digidestined10
Summary: This is the point of view of a young woman named Izzy and how she had became intertwined with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. A/N: The first four chapters are her retelling what's happened with commentary from her. The following chapter will be in a "current" point of view. This will cover portions of Avengers, CA: WS, A: AoU and CA: CW.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, they belong to Marvel. I own my OC.**

[I was there at the beginning. Well, not the _beginning_ beginning but when the Avengers battled against the Chitauri and Loki. It was during my second year of college, I was 22, when he and his army invaded Manhattan. Unfortunately, my sorry ass was smack dab in the middle of it. I was pretty lucky that I came out with some bruises and a few cuts on my leg but the one thing I will never forget from that day was how I met Steve. He didn't save me, _I_ saved him.]

When Steve had gotten knocked down by a Chitauri soldier, I had to do something. His shield was closer to me than it was to him so I did the most logical thing a person in my situation would do. [No, I didn't run for my life. I'm no coward. Reckless, yes but not a coward.] I picked up the shield and threw it at the alien.

[The shield was lighter than I expected it to be; _a lot_ lighter than a discus I can tell you that much. Back to the story.]

I threw it at the alien and its head chopped off.

"Damn," I muttered.

The shield bounced off a few things before returning to my hand. _This thing is awesome!_ I thought back then. I looked over expecting him to be up and about only, he was still on the ground. My feet ran on their own. Heart racing a million miles per hour. As I got closer, I slid on my leg like a baseball player stealing a base. I remember feeling broken pieces of glass, concrete and other nasty debris biting into my leg but I didn't care.

His mask was still on but I took off to check for any visible head injuries. One hand on his chest and the other under his nose so I would feel if he was breathing. Steve was. I sighed in relief and began to lightly tap his cheek to wake him up.

"Come on, wake up. I'll be damned if you stay like this."

The corner of his mouth twitched. I growled in frustration.

"ROGERS!"

His eyes shot open. He looks around before spotting me. I won't lie, the confused expression on his face was adorable. [Still is.]

"Wha—" Steve sat up quickly.

He expected the Chitauri to come at us but it didn't. It laid on the ground with its head missing. I still had the shield in my hand. Steve raised a brow. I held it out to him.

"I _may_ have used to decapitate the alien," I smiled sheepishly.

Steve took the shield. "That must've been some throw."

I shrugged."Eh, I'm a discus player. I'm used to throwing heavy projectiles but your shield," I pointed at it. "Is light as air. It felt amazing throwing it."

"It does, doesn't it?" he chuckles.

Steve stood up. He helped me up. I hissed when I felt the debris digging deeper into my calf. There was blood running down my calf and onto my heel.

"You okay there ma'am?"

"No need to be formal. Call me Izzy, please."

Steve smiled, "Okay…Izzy. Are you okay though?"

"I'll be fine. You, on the other hand, need to get back out there and save the city."

"Yes, ma'am. You should find shelter."

"Roger that," I smirked.

Steve had actually laughed at my horrible pun. [I still use it to this day but we'll get to that later.] Anyway, the laughter came from his core and was hearty. He probably hadn't laughed like that since he got out of the ice. My heart raced a little from hearing his laugh.

He started to head back into the fray. When he was a good distance away, I shouted out to him.

"Hey Cap!" Steve turned his head, "I've got your six. Got mine?"

Steve nodded smiling. "Every time."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, they belong to Marvel. I own my OC.**

After that day, I felt a connection to him. I didn't know what it was but it felt good. [It won't be until a couple of years later that I figured out how I really felt about him.]

It was the middle of October, nearly 5 months after the Battle of Manhattan, when I saw Steve again. In my opinion he stuck out like a sore thumb. He stood in the middle of the quad looking around as if he was lost. Everyone just ignored him. They probably thought he was waiting for someone and got lost.

What surprised me was that Steve wasn't surrounded by a large group of students asking for autographs and taking pictures. I honestly didn't know how people could completely ignore him. There Steve was wearing boots, jeans, a hoodie with the university's initials, CUNYM (City University of New York Manhattan), and glasses. I mean come on! He's right there wearing a crappy disguise in the middle of campus and no one bats an eye.

I decided to walk over to him, calmly. If I rushed, people might get suspicious. His back faced me as I got closer. My heart began faster and faster while a flock of butterflies suddenly decided to have a party in my stomach. I stood behind him. I heard him talking to himself and saw him rub the back of his neck.

"Is this the right campus?"

The corner of my lip tugged up. "Roger that."

Steve spun around almost knocking me down. His eyes landed on mine. I saw him smiling.

[Let me quickly set the record straight. I'm short like 5'3 short. So, whenever I stand next to someone, I feel short but with Steve, I feel like a child. He had to be close to 6'3 or taller. It wasn't fair. Okay, I'm done with my rant.]

"Izzy."

"Hi," I smiled back.

The two of us stood there a bit awkwardly. I ended up starting the conversation.

"So, um, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I-I…I wanted to see how you were doing."

I had never been so flattered in my life. Steve Rogers took time out of his, probably, busy schedule to check on me. A random girl he met nearly 5 months ago during a very stressful situation. To be honest, I figured that I would never see him again. Guess I was wrong since he stood in front of me.

I remembered shifting my weight discreetly onto my left leg hoping that he didn't notice. Just my luck he did. His brows knitted together with concern and his smile forming into a frown.

"You're hurt."

That was definitely a statement. I couldn't look at him in the eye. Whenever I get nervous or flustered, I wring my hands. [I still do it to this day. Stark continues to give me crap about it.]

"It doesn't hurt…now."

That much was true. Ever since that day, my leg screamed at me. I hadn't gone to the hospital to clean out the debris from my right calf. There were still pieces of glass in it but my wounds had "healed" and they got stuck in there.

It was only a few weeks later when the spasms started. First time it happened was when I had walked down a flight of stairs. When I placed weight on the leg, I fell down. Luckily I only got a couple bruises from it.

Afterwards, I became known around campus as the Klutz Girl. You wouldn't believe how many times I've fallen. I've gotten so many scabs, it's not even funny. Hell, the people working at the Student Health Services know me by name.

I always walked in with bloody arms, hands and knees from breaking my fall. There were a handful of times where I had to be carried there because I couldn't feel my leg.

"Izzy—"

"I'm used to it. Since you're here, how about I treat you to some hot chocolate?" I changed the topic.

[You will never find me drinking pumpkin spice latte or coffee for that matter. Sorry, had to put that out there.]

He nodded. Right as I stepped with my right leg, the concrete looked closer than it had been before. I waited to feel the familiar sensation of the hard concrete ground. Nothing. I felt nothing. The only thing I felt were two powerful and gentle arms. One wrapped itself around my stomach holding me up and the other on my shoulder.

"You okay?"

My eyes slowly opened. I turned my head to see worry in Steve's eyes. He caught me. Normally, people don't catch me but they do help me back up. The color of his eyes are blue but not just any blue. They're the bluest blue I've ever seen. [They still are and I love them.]

"Y-Yeah…yeah, it's just my leg."

"You didn't get it checked out?"

"All of the hospitals were busy back then. By the time I had some time, they healed somewhat."

"You need to get it checked out and cleaned. You could have an infection."

I shrugged. "I feel fine. Nothing bad happened these past few months plus I can't afford to go to a hospital now not with mid-terms being next week and me having no money whatsoever."

"How are you paying for college?"

"Steve, I'd rather not talk about my financial situation. Please," I begged.

I saw him fight the urge to add something but he kept his mouth shut. Instead he eases me back up and lets me put all my weight on him for support. I bet we looked like a couple from everyone else's perception. [Not that I didn't mind it but it's just…I don't know. Imma shut up now.]

"Can you move it?"

I took a deep breath and tried to put some weight on my leg. It shook. I leaned back against him shaking my head.

"We better find someplace for you to sit."

"There's the tree court," I suggested.

[Quick note: Tree court is a small area on campus filled with trees. These trees were super thick and had thick branches. A lot of people went there; students, faculty, employees, everyone. So many things happened there. I think I heard some people having sex once. Anyway, the branches were low enough to sit on but since I'm short, I just sat on the ground. It was amazing. The shade, a nice breeze would pass by and the outside world would just fade away.] *****

Anyway, I noticed Steve was getting ready to carry me bridal style. I couldn't let him do that. If he did then that would definitely turn some heads. I hated drawing attention. [Still do.] Steve saw my hesitation.

"What?"

"Maybe you shouldn't carry me in your arms."

The corner of my lip went up. "I've got an idea."

So, Steve ends up giving me a piggyback ride. It was awesome. [He gives me random piggyback rides now. They're fun.] No one questioned or even looked in our direction. We reached the court.

It wasn't that far of a walk but that's only because Steve is tall and has long legs. When he picked a nice tree, I got off his back carefully. I looked up to see the branch high above me. Even on the tips of my toes I barely touched it. I was getting ready to sit on the ground but Steve shook his head.

"Let me help you."

"Steve, it's fine."

"Please. I still haven't thanked you for saving me."

"You don't have to Steve. I did what anyone else would've done."

"They would've run away but you didn't," he smiled. "You went in with no protection or training. That took guts."

"You say guts, other's say stubbornness."

"Well, whatever you want to call it, I'm just glad it was there to help me that day. So thanks Izzy."

I smiled. "No problem."

In the end, he won. Steve held onto my waist ready to lift me up.

"Ready?"

"Whenever you are."

Steve squeezes my waist. [I may or may not have squeaked like a mouse. You've got no proof. Besides, it ain't my fault I'm ticklish there. Normally, I smack whoever squeezes me there as a reflex. Ok, sorry back to the story.] The man hoists me up so easily it's not even funny. Once he sets me on the thick branch, I looked at him with amazement.

"Do I weigh anything to you?"

Steve shrugged, "Like a bag of grapes."

"Green or purple?" I raised a brow.

"Both."

"Good choice."

"Before, when I grabbed your waist…"

"Yes?"

"Did you squeak?" Steve smiled like a goofball.

I looked away. My cheeks and ears began to burn and I _know_ it wasn't from the crisp autumn wind. [All right, you caught me red-handed. I did squeak. There, happy now? I hope you are.]

"I plead the 5th. You'll get nothing out of me Rogers."

I looked back and saw him shaking his head with a smile on his face.

"Whatever you say Izzy."

Steve leans up against the trunk. His eyes scanned our surrounding area but every now and then they find mine. [Now, I absolutely love his eyes but I never liked mine. I've told Steve this before and he says that I'm wrong. 'Why?' 'Because mine are nothing special. Yours, however, are absolute beauties.' Isn't he such a sap and sweetheart?] Whenever they find mine, there's always a smile that accompanies them.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"That smile isn't nothing. Come on Rogers, spill the beans."

He kept his mouth shut. In retaliation, I began using my foot to poke him. At first Steve did nothing then after a while, I got another smile from him.

"Really Izzy?"

"I'm going to keep doing it until you tell me Steve."

I continued to poke him with my foot. Soon he started swatting it away like it was a fly. Just to screw with him, I broke a small branch off and used it against him.

Steve laughed. "Don't make me come after you."

"I'd like to see you try. I mean, I can go easy on you since you _are_ 95 years old. Oh and happy belated birthday."

"I'm not dead and thanks."

"No problem," I smiled.

Steve pushes off against the trunk. He stood in front of me with his hands on his hips. [Superhero pose anyone?] A smirk made its way on his face. I sheepishly laughed and quickly stood up on the branch. I barely took 3 paces before the spasm came back. My foot missed the branch and I slipped.

"Izzy!"

"Umph."

Once again, I was in Steve's arms. I looked up into his eyes and saw the same emotions back in the quad; worry and something else. [Now I know what that second emotion was. No, I'm not telling you. You'll have to figure it out.]

"Uh, oops?" I smiled.

Steve shook his head. "I really think you should get your leg checked out."

"I will…once I finish my finals."

He sighed. "You need to start taking better care of yourself Izzy."

"And I again I will when I'm done with college."

"How many more years do you have left?"

"Two."

"You really are something, you know that?"

"So I've been told."

We stayed that way for who knows how long. I didn't mind it. Neither did Steve. That smile came back on his face.

"There's that smile again," I pointed out.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Just tell me. Please. Besides, no one will ever believe me that I had a conversation with Steve Rogers."

He finally cracked. "It's nice."

"What is?"

"Being here…with you," Steve softly smiled.

"Most guys would've run for the hills by now," I joked.

[I'm not good with receiving compliments. So sue me.] Steve finally noticed that I was still in his arms. He sets me down gently. I saw his cheeks were ever so slightly tinted with pink. It was adorable. [It still is.]

"How about we don't sit on the branch for a bit?" he suggested.

"I second it."

So we sat down at the base of the trunk. I stretched my legs over his lap. He didn't mind since he rested his hands on my legs which I didn't mind either. Once we were comfortable, I hugged my knees.

"I'm curious."

"About what?"

"What's going on inside that head of yours?" I gently taped his forehead.

Steve chuckled, "Well…"

We talked for hours. I even missed my class but I could afford to miss one day. [Side note, I passed that class.] The things we talked about are too many to list. [I _can_ tell you that we mostly got to know each other a little better.] During that time we exchanged numbers. I sent him a text then gave him a rundown on how to respond to one. Steve adapted quickly.

We even stopped talking and just watched the world around us. I looked up above us and just smiled. The leaves looked like they were waving at me because of the breeze that came through. I waved back. The breeze picked up a little. One of the leaves came off the branch and fell. I stretched to grab it but I was too short.

Steve ends up grabbing it. He hands it to me without saying a word. I took the leaf and examined it. There was nothing interesting about it but I loved the color. Autumn has always been my favorite season; the crisp air, changing of the leaves, cuter clothes and No. More. Bugs. Next thing I knew, I was dozing off. I could've sworn I closed my eyes for a second. Guess I didn't because I felt Steve gently shaking me to wake up.

"Hmm?" I rubbed my eye.

"You're tired."

"Am not," I complained.

"Says the one who just slept for an hour and a half," Steve said smiling.

I looked up at the sky and saw that the pink was turning black.

I hid my face and groaned. "I'm sorry Steve."

He laughed. "It's fine. You've had a long day."

"Try a long week. There are days where I just want to drop out of college and become a stripper. It'll never happen since I have no coordination whatsoever."

"Don't become a stripper. Stay in school. You have two more years left."

"It's going to be miserable. What's worse is that when I'm done, I'm going to be thrown into the world of working adults with no experience in anything."

"I'm sure you'll succeed," Steve smiled.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

The last rays of sunset disappeared. I didn't want the day to end already. Steve moved my legs to the side and stood up. He stood in front of me with a hand stretched out. I grabbed his hand. Steve helped me up.

"Let me walk you back to your dorm," he offered.

"Only if you give me a piggyback ride," I smirked.

"Whatever you want," Steve smiled.

I hopped onto his back and we headed for my dorm. The walk was nice but it ended too quickly for my taste. When we got into the dorm building, I was going to get off but Steve didn't let me.

"Now what kind of gentleman would I be if I let you walk up all of those stairs?"

"A crappy one. But I'll stay on until we reach my room." [Deep down I was glad he didn't let me and I still am.]

So he takes me to my room. I finally got off his back and began to fish for my keys. I got them out. Before I walked in, I turned to Steve.

"Thanks for coming today. Made my day a whole lot better," I smiled.

"You're welcome."

"Good night Steve."

"Good night Izzy," and the man kisses my cheek.

I just stood there. Didn't move, didn't speak, I didn't do shit except smile like a complete idiot. Steve walked away and headed for the stairs. I waited a few minutes before I went inside my room. I quickly took out my phone and shot him a quick text.

 _Me: I've got your six. Got mine?_ 19:29

A minute passed and he responded.

 _Steve: Every time :)_ 19:30

That night I couldn't get rid of the goofy smile on my face. It wasn't because of the kiss but the smiley emoji Steve sent with the text. He's a dork. [Still is.]

* * *

* (A/N: I have no clue how the City University of New York campus in Manhattan is. This is just what I think it is in the MCU. Don't like it? Deal with it.)


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, they belong to Marvel. I own my OC.**

Spring forward to two years. Steve and I remained in contact. We talked…A LOT. No, it wasn't through texts, only sometimes, we actually called each other over the phone the way they're _supposed_ to be used. [What's wrong with calling people? Society really needs to get back on that. Sorry. Mini-rant over.]

Anyway, my roommate would tease me whenever Steve called. Every time my phone rang she would go "Lover boy's calling again" or "The Empire is coming for you." I set Steve's ringtone to be the droids from Star Wars saying "Roger, roger" which he didn't know about it. [Still doesn't.] At first she was being funny and jokes around but then it turned sour. She'd make nasty remarks and gave me the stank eye. I would call Steve and ask him what I should do.

"Give her some space. She could be having a bad day."

I sighed. "I don't know Steve. I've lived with her for the past four years. This isn't one of her bad days."

"Well, maybe—"

His end went silent.

"Steve?"

Panic began to rise. I instantly thought I got him killed because I distracted him. It went away when a new voice spoke, a woman's.

"Hello?"

"Uh, hi. I'm Izzy. Who am I talking to?"

On the other end I heard Steve yelling, "Romanoff give me back my phone."

"This is Natasha. I work with Steve."

"Hi," I smiled, "It's about time I met one of his coworkers from SHIELD even if it's over the phone."

The other end went silent. It was too quiet. Then Nat [I'm allowed to call her that now.] finally spoke.

"You're clear."

"Did an extensive background check on me? Family included?"

"Yes."

"Not surprised. Am I allowed to continue speaking with Steve?"

"Yes," there was a pause, "We never had this conversation."

"What conversation?"

I heard the phone being handed to Steve. I also heard.

"Better take her before someone else does Rogers."

"Why don't you say that a little louder? I don't think Izzy heard you."

I wanted to say that I did but I kept my mouth shut. It was fun to hear how embarrassed he gets. [The amount of teasing I do to the poor man is hilarious. There are a few times he's made me speechless. He _was_ in the Army after all.] The two of them continued to make witty banter and I just waited patiently for them to finish. Steve finally came back.

"Sorry Izzy."

I smiled even though he couldn't see it. "Hey, Natasha is just looking out for you. She's making sure that I'm not someone who has a hidden agenda to take you down…" I realized what I said, "Okay. Whoever is listening to this conversation I swear on my life and River Styx that I don't. I repeat DON'T have a hidden agenda against Steve Rogers."

There was silence. A few seconds passed when I hear the familiar sound of Steve's laughter.

"Izzy calm down. No one is listening in on our call. The line is encrypted."

"Oh…well never mind then."

"Same ol' Izzy."

"Hey, I've seen enough spy movies to be cautious on what I say."

"You do know that some of those scenes are fake."

"Whatever," I pouted.

"I can hear you pouting."

"Well, I can hear you smirking smartass."

"Jokes aside. How's your leg?" Steve asked in a worried tone.

I looked down at my leg. For the past two years, I had to go to physical therapy every day. All of the crap that got into my leg from the Chitauri invasion completed screwed up with the nerve endings and even completely severed some of them in my calf. I didn't get it check out until after finals week but I couldn't afford it.

That was when Steve introduced me to Tony. [I call him Anthony when I'm pissed at him.] I guess I impressed him or something because he offered, no, he DID pay for all of my medical bills and physical therapy. I remembered the nickname he gave me. "Grizzly Girl." [I _may_ have verbally attacked him when he said something against Chicago, my hometown.] Anyway, I had to wear a brace around my calf since it still spasms and using crutches.

"Izzy?

"Hmm?"

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just lost in thought. Anyway my leg is fine. It spasms sometimes."

"Are you taking your medication?"

"No, I'm selling them on the streets for $100 a pop. Of course I'm taking them."

"There's no need for sarcasm."

"There'll always be a need for sarcasm. Maybe that's why Tony and I get along so well."

"You two are not allowed to be in same room."

"Oh c'mon. That was a one time incident Steve."

"You're banned from the Yankee's stadium for life," Steve deadpanned.

"I never liked them anyway."

"Izzy…"

"Yeah, yeah I know. Now, how's D.C.?"

So he told me everything that he does, not including the things for SHIELD, but normal stuff like going to cafés, going on runs, etc. and sometimes he goes to the Smithsonian. I remembered asking him if anyone recognized him. A little boy did but Steve got him not to say anything. I even told him that he needs a better disguise. He always says a hat is just fine.

Steve almost always goes to the Smithsonian whenever he's feeling down. I knew about it thanks to Nat. I also knew that he blames himself for Bucky's death but I never touched on the subject. He would automatically shut down if I tried to get him to talk about it. [I have been given permission from Steve to call James, Bucky.]

Later on, I would get random calls and texts from Steve whenever he's on a mission. I was glad he took the time to do that so I wouldn't worry about him. Then the shit with Hydra went down. I was the luckiest girl ever. [Please note the sarcastic tone.] Turned out my roommate was a Hydra sleeper agent. [Guess that's why I had her as the same roommate for FOUR years.] She came at me when I had the news on and the Helicarriers were falling into the Potomac.

"Guess the cat's out of the bag."

I backed away from her. "Why me?"

"We've been keeping an eye on you ever since you made contact with Rogers during the Battle of Manhattan."

"I'm just a normal person who helped a friend."

"Oh, you're more than a friend to him. Now come quietly or else."

"I pick "or else" for 500."

She ran at me. I used my crutch on her. [It wasn't easy trust me. I still have the scars the bitch gave me.] When I tied her, I called Tony.

"Tony?"

"Hello, Miss Izzy."

"JARVIS! Get Tony to my dorm room. My bitch of an ex-roommate is a Hydra agent."

"Right away."

Not even five minutes passed when Tony smashes through my ceiling. [I lived on the 3rd floor back then.] A horde of cops followed him. They came in and took her away.

Tony turned to me, "Izzy put the crutch down."

"Huh?"

He got out of the suit. Tony took the crutch from my hand and laid it against the wall. Next thing I knew, he pulls me into a hug.

"You're okay Kid."

I cried. That was the only time I was so afraid for my life. Realization hits me. I wasn't safe at the college.

"T-Tony, I-I can't—"

"Don't worry. I'm already one step ahead of you."

Just like that, I moved from my dorm room and into the newly refurbished Stark Tower aka Avengers Tower. I got to meet Dr. Bruce Banner there. He's a very sweet man even though he's got the Hulk deep inside. I wanted to meet him too. [Still haven't. Banner says he doesn't want the Hulk to hurt me.]

I managed to graduate online despite the little "hiccup." Tony paid off my student loans and the rest of my tuition. He even guaranteed a job with the Avengers. Did I turn it down? Hell no. [Officially, I'm a liaison between the Avengers and the United Nations. Unofficially, I'm in the field too as a translator. Steve doesn't like it but it's only 5% of the time. The rest is stuck behind a desk and telling everyone how to properly pronounce words.]

There I am, sitting in the lab with Banner. He was doing an experiment and was telling me what the machine was doing. I roughly understood about 60% of what he was talking about. The results came in and Banner went to check. It had been close to a week since I hadn't heard from Steve. The fear of him dead in the Potomac was constantly on my mind. I guess Banner saw how worried I was.

"Steve's going to be fine Izzy."

I groaned. "I can't help but worry. Even when he went on missions I got a text from him. I haven't heard a peep from him in a week and that was before SHIELD fell."

"You gotta have—"

"Roger, roger. Roger, roger. Roger, roger."

I gasped, "Steve!"

My phone was on the other side of the lab. I stood up and ran for my phone. Thing is, I forgot to wear my brace and use my crutches so I fell face first onto the floor.

"Hope. Need any help there Izzy?"

"I got it."

I pushed myself up and hopped on my left leg. It was still ringing when I reached the table. Unfortunately, right as I grabbed my phone I slipped on a screwdriver and fell on my ass. Ignoring the pain, I answered.

"Steve! You son of a bitch. Where the hell have you been?! I was worried sick about you. I swear to god when I get my hands on you, I'm going to—"

"Sorry to interrupt but I'm not Steve," a male voice spoke.

"Then who are you? And where's Steve?"

"My name's Sam. I'm a friend of Steve's."

"Nice to meet you Sam but you're dodging my question. Where. Is. Steve. I swear if you tell me he's not alive, I'm going to—"

"No, no. Steve's alive. We're in the hospital. Even with the super soldier serum, he has to be in bed for at least two more days."

"Thank god," I sighed in relief.

"I'm guessing you're Izzy huh?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Steve's been asking about you. Judging from your voice, you sound fine."

"At the moment I want to murder him but I'm glad he's ok. Thanks for the call Sam. I'll be there shortly."

I hung up. I was about to stand up when I saw a hand in front of me. Looking up, I saw Banner with a smile on his face. I took his hand. He helps me up. As I leaned against the table, Banner went to grab my brace and crutches. Once I had the brace on and the crutches under my armpits, I quickly made my way out of the lab.

I shouted, "Stark, I needed to be in D.C. yesterday!"

His response, "Grizzly Girl's on the loose. JARVIS, lockdown."

Obviously he was joking but I wasn't in the mood for it.

"ANTHONY!" [That was the beginning of me calling him by his first name whenever I got pissed.]

Eventually, I arrived in D.C. and stood outside of the hospital. I made my way up. Honestly, I didn't know where I was going then I ended up on the right floor out of sheer luck. I took my time getting to the heavily guarded room. Two military guards stood on either side of the door. Their guns were in their hands ready to shoot at the drop of a hat.

There I was, a 5'3 24 year old woman with crutches stood right in front of them. They may be intimidating to other people but not to me.

"No visitors allowed," one said.

"Look Mr…" I read his tag on the uniform, "Mathai. I got a call saying Steve is here so if you don't mind I would like to see him."

I took one step and Mathai blocked me. I gripped my crutches to the point of my knuckles turning white.

"Let me in."

"What part of "no visitors" didn't you understand?"

"The "no" part. I'm a friend and if you don't let me in that room in the next 30 seconds, I'll drop you and your pal here like a sack of potatoes," I threatened.

Before we went at it, someone spoke out.

"Izzy?"

The voice sounded familiar. Turning my head, I saw a black man with a cup of coffee walking in our direction.

"Sam?"

He smiled. "It's nice to finally put a face with the voice." Sam finally noticed the tension. "Don't worry guys. We've been expecting her."

"We have orders not to allow any unauthorized personnel inside the room," Mathai stated.

"Captain America has been asking about her. Do you want to get on his bad side?"

"N-No."

"All right then," Sam walked to the door when Mathai moved back to his original spot, "Ladies first."

"Age before beauty," I smirked.

"You calling me old?"

"I'm just saying I'm prettier than you."

"Damn. I better go grab some ice for myself."

"Better make it a glacier. I've got more."

"I like you already."

"Same here."

I headed inside first despite my remark. There peacefully sleeping under scratchy hospital blankets was Steve. He had wires connecting him to machines, an IV drip and the bruises on his face were nearly gone. I propped my crutches against the wall and walked to his bedside. At one point, my leg spasm and I nearly fell but I caught myself.

"You good?" Sam asks.

"Peachy."

I pushed through it and finally reached the bed. Making sure that I didn't wake him, I carefully sat on the edge of the bed. My hand automatically took his and placed it in a vice grip. There was no way in hell that I was letting him go so easily.

"Hey, he's going to make a full recovery. You don't have to cry."

"What?"

At first I thought he lost his mind but that's when I tasted salt. I _was_ crying. I guess seeing Steve alive caused the dam to overflow. They weren't tears of sadness, they were tears of relief. I looked away so I could wipe them but I didn't get the chance. A large familiar hand had done it for me.

"No more crying," I looked back to see him awake and smiling, "I don't like it when you cry so no more. That's an order."

I laughed and cried at the same time. "Roger that."

His hand cups my face. I leaned into it and loosened my vice grip on his other hand. We were having a moment then Sam ruins it.

"This is so sweet. I think my blood sugar just spiked."

I made a face. Steve knew what the face meant. He just shook his head. I turned to Sam.

"I'll call the doctor to give you an insulin shot. He or she is also gonna have to set your shoulder back into place."

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm gonna dislocate it in a second if you keep making these snide remarks."

"Damn girl."

Steve chuckled, "You might not want to get on Izzy's bad side. She's short but she makes up for it with her determination. Isn't that right Izzy?"

I faced Steve again. "It was only a sprain."

"You sprained my wrist. Fury chewed my head off the next day about it."

"You're never going to let that go, aren't you?"

"I'll remind you whenever I think it's necessary."

"Great," I mumbled.

His hand cups my face again. I look into his blue eyes and saw relief with something else. [I still won't tell you.] We were in our own world. Everything around us evaporated into thin air.

"I've got your six. Got mine?" he asks.

I held his hand that cupped my face and smiled, "Every time."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, they belong to Marvel. I own my OC.**

The following year was the debacle with Ultron. [I still give Tony crap about it. I like to say 'And the one who created a homicidal robot hell-bent on ending humanity was…' Always shuts him up every time.] Anyway, this was when Steve and I finally admitted our feelings. [Yes, it took us a total of three years: an alien invasion, SHIELD falling and an evil robot for us to admit. Deal with it.]

So Steve had officially moved in the Tower after the SHIELD thing. He lived on the floor above me but some of his things are in my place and vice versa. Steve's even spent the night even if it was on the couch. I told him that I would take the couch but he wasn't having it. There were times where I screamed because of nightmares.

"Izzy, Izzy wake up."

My eyes opened and I quickly sat up. I was panting to the point oxygen wasn't reaching my brain and darkness was coming into view. A hand touches my cheek caused me to flinch.

"It's only me Izzy."

I looked over to find Steve next to my bed.

"Steve?" I whispered.

"Hey, doll," he softly smiled.

"What time is it?"

"A little after three. Did you have another nightmare?"

"It's nothing. I'm good. Go back to bed."

At that point, my calf decided to throb which caused me to clutch it in pain.

"Mmm. Damn Oedipus." [Those who know Greek Mythology will get a kick out of this.]

"Wait right there" and Steve went into my bathroom.

"Not like I can leave anyway."

[Side note: If I'm woken up before 8, didn't sleep well, or haven't eaten anything yet, I _will_ become a sarcastic bitch. No one messes with me when I'm like this, not even Tony. Steve's the only one who can handle this side of me. Back to the story.]

"Was that sarcasm I just heard?"

"Nope. No idea what you're talking about Rogers."

Steve exited the bathroom holding a glass of water and my medication bottle. He hands me the glass then opens the bottle. I take a sip so I could swallow the pills easier. Two tablets were in his hand. I popped them in my mouth and drank the entire glass.

"Better?" Steve asked.

"I'll tell you once they've kicked in."

There's no personal space between us. Steve sat down right next to me and I didn't kick him out. We stayed like that for a while in silence. Then he spoke first.

"What was it this time?"

"Steve, I—"

"Talking helps. Don't keep this bottled or it'll make you sick Izzy," he reasoned.

"Why do you have to be the voice of reason?" I mumbled.

Steve chuckled, "Guess I need to change my name to Jiminy Cricket."

I smiled, "Look who's using Disney references."

"Kind of hard not to use them since you're forcing me to watch every movie Disney made."

"You have to catch up on them! So many good movies."

"Izzy, you're avoiding the question."

"Avoiding what?" I feigned innocence.

Steve wasn't having it. He gave me a look which I read as "Bitch please." I caved.

"Fine. It was Becky."

"The Hydra agent who was your roommate?"

"Yeah."

"Izzy, she's locked up. You don't have to worry about her."

"I'm not."

"Then why—"

"While you and everyone else were taking down the Helicarriers, I had to deal with Becky. She told me that Hydra had been watching me after we met during Loki's invasion. I figured they wanted me to go with them knowing that you would stop to save me. There wasn't a chance in Hell that I would let you do that." I glared right into his eyes. "You better not Rogers."

Steve pulled me into his embrace whispering, "What happened?"

I sighed, "They got me and everything went dark. When I opened my eyes, I was in a bright room and tied to a chair. You sat across from me all bloodied and bruised. Blood was dripping from your chin. You lifted your head and smiled at me. Then your lips were moving. I couldn't hear what you were saying but I read your lips. I didn't get the chance to respond when a gun went off.

"I thought it was me that they shot but it wasn't, it was you. They shot you right in the stomach. There was so much blood. It didn't seem to stop anytime soon. Someone had cut the rope off around me. I ran to you. The gun went off two more times. I fell right at your feet and I couldn't breathe. Before everything went dark, I saw a gun aimed at your forehead. That was the last thing I saw before I—"

I couldn't bring myself to say "I died." My stomach instantly felt choppy like I was about to puke. [I didn't.] Steve pulled me closer to him. I cried and cried and cried. I could feel him rubbing my back in a circular motion. It did help. Soon my cries turned into sniffles. Suddenly I felt a pair of warm lips on my forehead. Steve kissed my head. [He still likes to do it. It's one of our things.]

"I'm not going to let that happen. I promise."

"Promises can be broken," I whispered.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I don't break promises."

"Dork."

"Takes one to know one."

"Whatever Rogers."

"Come on Izzy. Let's go back to sleep."

"Okay" and we fell asleep together. [No, we didn't do anything. Get your minds out of the gutter.]

A few months later, everyone was back; Thor, Clint and Nat moved into the Tower. Hill became Tony's "secretary" but she actually handles the missions whenever they head out on one. Then there was news, Loki's scepter was found.

Steve and the others went off to some Eastern European country. Sokovia if memory serves. Obviously, I stayed behind. I didn't have to use the crutches anymore but I still had to use the brace at night.

There I was, relaxing on my office chair tossing my stress ball into the air and catching it. An orange tabby cat jumps onto my desk.

I smiled, "Hey, Tigger."

He purred as I scratched his chin. Steve gave him to me as a present. It was love at first sight. [The cat, not Steve.] Now, Tigger never leaves my side. I'm pretty sure Tony knows about Tigger but hadn't said anything about it yet.

"Hey, JARVIS."

"Yes Miss Izzy."

"Connect me to the team's coms."

"I highly recommend against that."

"Does it seem like I care?"

"Very well Miss Izzy."

I began to hear the fight. A few string of curse words from the enemy. [I'm not repeating them, trust me.] The surround sound in my office was incredible. It was like I was there myself. Then I hear a loud clang and Tony cursing.

"That gotta hurt," I mumbled.

"Shit."

"Language. JARVIS, what's the view from upstairs?" Steve asked.

"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other Hydra base we've taken."

"JARVIS bring up a visual for me," I softly said.

He does. So far no one knows that I'm listening in except for maybe Tony.

"At long last, Loki's scepter must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defense without low loss," Thor stated.

It's weird how Shakespearean Thor sounds. Don't get me wrong, I like it but it takes some getting used to. Sometimes the man makes no sense when he uses Asgardian lingo. I was looking at the holographic Hydra base. It looked impressive but it was a shame that I couldn't get to see it in person.

"At long last is lasting a little long boys," Nat complained.

"Yeah, I think we lost the element of surprise," Clint stated the obvious.

"No kidding," I muttered.

"Wait a second. No one else is gonna deal with the fact that Cap just said "language"?" Tony asked.

"I know, it just slipped out. No one mentions this to Izzy."

I made myself known, "Too late."

"Izzy? Why are you connected to our coms?"

"I got bored so I had JARVIS connect me. I'm really glad I did," I laughed, "I'm never gonna let you live this down Steve."

"Oh great," he muttered.

"That's enough flirting you two. Cap, focus. Izzy, get rid of the cat," Tony complained.

"What cat?" I feigned innocence.

"The cat you've failed to keep secret."

"I don't have a cat. I have an emotional support animal who happens to be a cat named Tigger. He's got a certificate and everything. Besides, you like him Tony so stop complaining."

He got quiet. The sound of fighting came back which turned into background noise. I didn't have to worry about them. Once I heard that they got the scepter, it would take them some hours until they got back. I headed back to my floor with Tigger right behind me. I took a "quick" nap which ended up turning into a four hour nap. Something tickled my nose. My eyes slowly opened to find a familiar smile.

"Izzy, wake up."

"No."

"You've been sleeping for six hours."

"I don't care. Let me sleep Steve."

"You leave me with no other choice."

"What are you—"

I was suddenly pulled off from the couch and over Steve's shoulder. I looked over to the couch hoping Tigger would help me. He was fast asleep.

"Some helper you are," I muttered.

"Have you been eating? Taking your meds?"

"Yes and yes," I lied.

"JARVIS?"

"Miss Izzy has yet to take her medication. She also hasn't eaten since lunch yesterday."

"Tattle tale," I complained.

"Thanks JARVIS."

"My pleasure Captain Rogers."

There was silence. I'm still hanging over his shoulder. Blood began to rush to my brain.

"Steve, I'm feeling a little dizzy. Can you put me down?"

He doesn't speak but did set me back down. I glanced up at his face and saw a very stern expression. It was an expression I'm all too familiar with. [Believe me.]

"Look, Steve—"

"Izzy, what are you doing to yourself?! You need to take better care."

"I am!"

"Not according to JARVIS. It's eight at night and from what JARVIS said, you haven't eaten for more than 24 hours."

"So what? A lot of people do it. I bet Tony does it all the time and I don't see _you_ pestering him about it!"

"He's an adult—"

That irked me. "Oh and I'm not?" I can hear my voice becoming louder.

"I never said that."

"But that's what you're implying. You still see me as that wide-eyed girl from the Chitauri invasion, don't you!?"

"No. I've never thought that way about you."

"Then why are you constantly pestering me? Huh?"

"Because…" he went silent.

"Because why Steve?" Steve couldn't look at me in the eye, "You don't want to tell me? Fine be that way. Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

I turned my back on him. He still didn't say anything. The next thing I heard was his footsteps leaving and the door closing shut. Tears trailed down my cheeks. That was our first serious argument. We had goofier ones but never something this serious.

"Miss Izzy."

I sniffled. "What is it JARVIS?"

"I apologize for creating tension between you and Captain Rogers."

"It's fine."

"Would you like me to order your usual?"

"Yes please. And JARVIS."

"Yes Miss Izzy?"

"You're the best. I just wanted you to know that."

"Thank you and I would like to say something."

"Yes?"

"I do believe you are, what most people would call, extraordinary."

I smiled. "Thanks JARVIS."

20 minutes later I'm eating my comfort food: blueberry muffins from a Ma and Pop shop. Steve hadn't said anything to me. I couldn't blame him since I was doing the same to him. The following day was radio silence. The same with the next day but that night, I got a surprise visitor.

"Romanoff, what are you doing here?"

She was frowning, "To find out what's going on between you and Rogers."

"We had a disagreement, that's all."

"Uh-huh. You're coming to the party."

"That'll never happen in this century. Besides, you can't make me go," I stated confidently.

"Challenged accepted."

Nat forced her way in and dragged me into my room. Three hours after picking the right dress, hair and makeup, I was ready for the party. I didn't want to go but Nat was forcing me to. She got me into a strapless red flowy dress that reached mid-thigh, black flats, smoky eyeshadow and seductive red lipstick. Before I could run away, Nat dragged me towards the party.

When the elevator doors opened, a few heads turned in our direction. There were some looks. I wasn't sure if they were staring at me or at Nat. [Later I learned they were staring at me.] Nat left me alone. I didn't know anyone except for a handful of people aka the Avengers and all of them were talking with other guests.

Not knowing what else to do, I headed for the bar. I saw Tony, Thor, Hill and Rhodey talking. I turned the other way but Tony spotted me.

He yelled out, "Grizzly Girl, over here."

Some heads were turned when they heard the nickname. My face was the color of my dress. I knew that if I didn't go over, he would keep saying that horrible nickname. So I walked over to them.

"Hi guys."

"Izzy, nice to finally meet you," Rhodey joked.

"Nice to meet you too Mister…what was your name again?"

[Rhodey and I have this inside joke. Tony doesn't like it because he's not in on it.]

"Looking good Izzy," Hill smiled.

"You do indeed Lady Izzy."

"Thanks. It wasn't my choice but Romanoff does have good taste."

"Seen Cap lately?" Tony asked.

"No. Why?"

"No reason."

"Anthony…"

Hill stepped in before I could punch him, "Where are the ladies gentlemen?"

"Oh Miss Potts has a company to run so…"

"I'm not even sure what country Jane's in. Her work on the convergence has made her the world's foremost astronomer."

"And the company that Pepper runs is the largest tech conglomerate on Earth. It's pretty exciting."

"There's even talk of Jane getting a Nobel Prize."

"Oh lord," I muttered.

"Yeah, I think they must be busy because they'd hate missing you guys get together," Hill faked coughed, "Testosterone."

I did the same. "Major."

Rhodey ushered Hill and I away from the two. I greatly appreciated it. I stayed with Hill for a good while until she had to talk with someone else.

"There you are."

I turned around to find Sam smiling.

"Hi Sam."

"Didn't think you'd show up."

"Romanoff forced me to come. I had planned on binge watching Grey's Anatomy with a box of pizza and a bottle of wine."

"Now that's a party."

"Sure it is. How's the search?"

"It's going."

"Good, good."

We fell into a somewhat awkward silence. I wanted to ask him about Steve but I was afraid that he would tell him.

"He's miserable."

"Who is?"

"Steve."

"Why?"

"You know why."

"No I don't." [I did.]

"The fight you two had."

"What fight?"

"Izzy, come on girl. You can tell me. I swear I won't say a word to Steve."

So I told him what the fight was about. I even told him how guilty I felt but angry and annoyed by how Steve treated me like glass. There was a look on Sam's face. I couldn't figure out what it meant. [Now I know what it meant.] He even smiled.

"What's with the smile?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Samuel Thomas Wilson, you _will_ tell me what the smile means."

Sam checked the time on his phone, "Wow, would you look at the time? It's time for me to go" and the dude leaves.

Feeling really pissed, I marched over to the bar and got a shot of pure vodka. I took the shot without batting an eyelash. The bartender was shocked.

"How?" he asked.

"Learned from a friend." [Said friend is Nat.]

I took another shot before taking a bottle of beer. As the night went on, the crowd of guests became smaller and smaller until it was just us; myself, Tony, Steve, Thor, Nat, Clint, Rhodey, Hill, Banner and Dr. Cho. We sat around the coffee table where Thor's hammer was. Hill, Clint and I sat on the floor while everyone else sat on couches and lounge chairs.

"But it's a trick," Clint stated.

"No, no, it's more than that," Thor said.

"Ah, "Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power." Whatever, man! It's a trick."

"Please, be my guest."

"Come on. Really?"

"Yeah."

So Clint stood up and went to pick up the hammer.

"Oh this is going to be beautiful," Banner added.

"Clint, you've had a tough week. We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up," Tony said.

"$20 that you can't lift it Clint," I smiled.

He pointed at me. "You're on," he looks over at Thor, "You know I've seen this before, right?"

Clint placed his hand around the handle and pulled. He couldn't do it while I just became $20 richer.

"I still don't know how you do it!"

"And I win the bet," I smiled.

"Smell the silent judgement?" Tony asked.

"Please, Stark, by all means."

Clint sat back down. He hands me a $20 dollar bill and I folded it before putting it in my bra. Tony stood up.

"Hey Tony," he looks over at me, "Bet you a gift card worth $1,000 that you AND Rhodey can't lift the hammer."

"You're on Grizzly Girl."

"Okay."

"Uh-oh."

"Never one to shrink away from an honest challenge," Tony stated.

"Get after it."

"It's physics."

"Physics."

"Not gonna happen Stark," I took a sip of my beer.

"Right, so, if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?" Tony asked.

"Yes, of course," Thor answered.

"That'll happen when pigs fly," I added.

"I will be reinstituting Prima Nocta." He tried to lift it, nothing happened. "I'll be right back."

"Where's he going?" I asked.

The man comes back with his Iron Man glove and tries lifting the hammer with it. Even _that_ didn't work. Rhodey helped but it did no good.

"Are you even pulling?" Rhodey asked.

"Are you on my team?"

"Just represent. Pull."

"All right, let's go."

They failed. Miserably. That means I won a $1,000 gift card. I'll be using that card to buy more books because there's no such thing as too many books. [If someone says otherwise, ignore them. They can't appreciate a good book.] Banner tried and failed. He even pretended to get angry and go "Hulk" on us. I laughed at his silliness. Then it was Steve's turn. All I did was watch.

"Go ahead, Steve. No pressure," Tony stated.

"Come on, Cap."

Steve grabbed the handle and pulled. I saw the hammer budge just a tiny bit. I was shocked. Looking over at Thor, he was frowning. Steve tried again and nothing. Thor laughed in relief.

"Nothing," Steve said.

"And, Widow?" Tony asked.

"Oh, no, no. That's not a question I need answered."

"All deference to the Man Who Wouldn't Be King, but it's rigged."

"You bet your ass," Clint said.

"Steve, he said a bad language word," Hill tattled on Clint.

"Did you tell everyone about that?" Steve asked Tony.

I snorted loudly and fell into a small laughing fit. That earned me a look from Steve. It wasn't out of concern or anger but longing. I tried my best to ignore it.

"The handle's imprinted, right? Like a security code. "Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints" is, I think, the literal translation," Tony complained.

"Wait a minute. Izzy didn't get to try," Clint said.

Everyone looked at me. I never did like being the center of attention.

I swallowed. "I'm good."

"It's fine guys. We all know Izzy's a coward," Tony egged me on.

It worked. [Want to get me to try something? Call me a coward and I'll end up doing it just to prove you wrong. It's a bad habit.] I placed my beer on the coffee table and stood up.

"I'm reckless, not a coward Stark. Get it right."

They cheered as I went over to the hammer. I grabbed the handle but didn't lift it yet. Thoughts of self-doubted were running through my mind. I ignored them and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and took a leap of faith. All I heard was silence. I was scared to open my eyes then I heard Steve's voice.

"Izzy."

I opened my eyes. There it was, the hammer in my hand. It was lighter than I expected it to be. [I can still lift it but I never used its power. I'll leave that to Thor.]

"So what now?" I asked.

Tony was at my side in a blink of an eye muttering, "Is she related to Thor? I need a blood sample."

"Okay…anyone else want to say anything?"

"Lady Izzy, you may use the hammer whenever you wish," Thor said.

"Um, I'm good. Thanks though," I handed the hammer back to him.

Of course right after that, Ultron attacked. It was a mess. Bots were attacking us, glass flew everywhere, and everyone scrambled to grab their weapons. A bot was coming at me when someone tackles me to the ground on a bed of broken glass. They bit into my shoulder and arm. I could feel blood flowing down my arm.

I glanced up to see Steve protecting me with his body. The world around us melted away. There was no evil robots, guns going off or glass spreading everywhere, it was just the two of us.

"Thanks," I whispered.

"Every time."

After that moment we had, the next few days were crap. It was Tony's fault for creating Ultron. We learned that he was going to some pirate's ship for vibranium; the stuff that Howard used to make Steve's shield. I wanted to go but Steve wouldn't let me. I didn't bother arguing with him because there was no point.

So there I was, pacing back and forth in my living room. Tigger was peacefully sleeping on the couch. Out of nowhere I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my heart. I didn't know what caused it. [Later I learned. I'll tell you guys some other time.] It hurt so much that I fell to my knees clutching my heart. I didn't know how long I was like that but through my delirium, I heard Hill's voice.

"Izzy, Izzy. Are you okay?"

"I-I don't know."

"What is it?"

"M-My heart," I moaned.

A few minutes passed and it stops. The pain was gone. I finally breathed.

"I'm good, I'm good. How are they?" Hill made a face. "Tell me."

"They got hit pretty hard. Wanda Maximoff got to them."

"Are they heading back here?"

"Not after what Banner did as the Hulk."

"Where are they going?"

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do and I'm going. You can't stop me Hill."

She sighed, "Fine but you're not going alone."

That was when I officially met Fury. He took one good look at me and nodded.

"You would've been a fine SHIELD agent."

"Thanks for the compliment but are we going or not?"

I wasn't in the mood for chitchat. We entered a jet and Fury took us wherever the team was. Hours passed when we finally got to the location, a farm. When we landed, I unbuckled myself and left to search for Steve. I got lucky and found him chopping wood close to the farmhouse. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Steve," I softly said.

His head snapped up and saw me, "Izzy."

Steve dropped the axe and ran towards me. He engulfed me into a giant hug as if he was afraid of losing me. I hugged him back and held onto his shirt tightly.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Steve. I shouldn't have argued with you. It was stupid and petty," I cried.

"It's okay Izzy," Steve reassured me.

"No, it's not."

"Izzy," Steve cupped my face and gently lifted it so I would look at him, "It doesn't matter. I still love you."

My brain froze. I couldn't say anything at first. A second later I managed to speak.

"What?"

"I love you Izzy. That's why I've been acting the way I have. I'm scared that you'll end up hurt because I wasn't there to protect you or you die because I wouldn't make it in time to save you. If that happened, I'd never forgive myself. I can't lose you too."

I cried again but I smiled too, "Took you long enough you big dork."

"Takes one to know one," Steve smiled.

That's when we kissed. The kiss was filled with love, longing and happiness. After the kiss, we headed inside the farmhouse which I learned belonged to Clint. He also had a pregnant wife and two kids. [Little Nathaniel Pietro is adorable! I love holding him and kissing his chubby little cheeks. Clint hates it when I do that but I know he's happy about it. Steve keeps giving me looks whenever I'm with Nathaniel. He always smiles.]

Anyway, her name is Laura and she's pretty awesome. I properly introduced myself to her. The woman smiles and hugs me despite her pregnancy.

"Clint's told me so much about you Izzy."

"Oh boy. What did he tell you?"

She laughed, "Just good things."

I smiled. "Boy or girl?"

"Boy."

"Picked out a name yet?"

Laura smiled, "We're naming him Nathaniel."

"Hmm. He wouldn't be named after a certain redheaded spy, now would he?" I smirked.

"Yes, he is."

"The name sounds perfect. If I ever have a boy, I'd name him Arthur."

Laura didn't respond. She was looking at something behind me. I turned around to find Steve looking in our direction. He had this smile on his face. When I caught his eyes, he looked away. I turned my attention back to Laura. She had this "I know" look on her face.

"What?"

"How long have you and Steve been together?"

I felt my cheeks burn a little. "Well, we've been friends for three years now and…um…not even five minutes ago, w-we kissed."

"I'll make sure the two of you share a room."

"No, no, that's okay. I'll take the couch."

"I'm not going to be the one to separate Steve from his wife."

"B-But we're not married."

"Not yet, you aren't."

"Laura—"

She raised a hand. I instantly shut my mouth.

"From what Clint's told me, you two act like a married couple already just without the license and rings. Now if you'll excuse me, my husband owes me money" and she walked away.

So I stood there unsure of what just transpired. Everyone but Steve and I saw us as a couple. They even had a bet going. Heads were going to fly that night. [FYI, Banner won the bet.] As the day went on, I stayed with Clint's daughter, Lila. We had fun with coloring and reading. [This girl is adorable! If I ever have a girl, I want her to be like Lila.]

"Are you friends with Auntie Nat?" she asked.

"I work with her but I guess you can say that. I trust her."

"Am I allowed to call you Auntie Izzy?"

I smiled, "You can call me whatever you want Cookie."

I tickled her a little. She retaliates by tickling me back. We had a mini tickle war. It was fun. The two of us ended up laying on our backs and laughed. We heard someone knocking. I propped myself up to see Steve standing there and smiling.

"Hiya."

"And what are you two young dames doing?"

"Recuperating after an intense tickle war."

"I won," Lila smiled.

"Oh really?" Steve asked.

"She's the best tickler ever. Did you need something Steve?"

"We're having a meeting in the kitchen. Everyone's already talking."

"All right. I'm coming." I stood up then looked over at Lila, "Let's get you a cookie."

She smiled. After standing up, she walked over to me and I picked her up decided to carry her in my arms. I looked back to Steve. He was staring at me.

"What?"

He said nothing. Steve walked over then kissed me right on the lips. My eyes closed by themselves. [I'm not going into detail about the kiss. Just imagine the person you love is kissing you with everything they have. That's how the kiss felt.] I failed to cover Lila's eyes when I kissed back. Steve broke the kiss and cups my face.

"I love you Izzy."

"I love you too Steve."

"Can I have the cookie now?"

We laughed and headed downstairs. When we arrived, everyone was looking at us. Tony was being a smartass again. [I mean, when is he not?]

"Did we miss you two getting hitched and having a kid?"

"And did I miss you proposing to Pepper or you haven't been man enough to do it yet?" I raised a brow.

That shut up him instantly. Clint smiled and so did Nat and Fury. Banner looked rather uncomfortable. I could hear Steve chuckling softly right behind me. I walked over to the cookie jar and gave one to Lila.

"Thanks Auntie Z."

"No problem Cookie."

"Izzy, why are you giving my kid a cookie?" Clint asked.

"I told her I'd give her one. Deal with it."

When I set Lila back down, I stood next to Steve. We leaned against the counter. [Why? Because we're awesome like that.] He wrapped his arm around my waist while I laid my head on his shoulder. [Yes, we looked adorable.]

"Well, this is good times boss but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that," Nat said.

"I do, I have you. Back in the day I had eyes everywhere, ears everywhere else. You kids had all the tech you could dream up. Here we all are back on Earth with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world. Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission and whether or not he admits it, his mission is global destruction. All this laid in a grave, so stand. Outwit the platinum bastard."

[Very inspirational speech isn't it? Fury is like that.]

"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk," Nat joked.

"You know what Romanoff…"

"I'm worried what he'll do to me if _I_ cursed like that," I smirked.

Steve gave me a look. I squeezed his hand as a way of telling him that I was just joking around. He kissed my head and pulled me closer to him.

"So what does he want?" Fury asked.

"To become better. Better than us. He keeps building bodies," Steve replied.

"Person buddies. Human form is an efficient, biologically speaking, were outmoded but he keeps coming back to it," Tony explained.

"You two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed."

"I agree with Romanoff. You just _had_ to mess with the mystic stone, didn't you?" I frowned.

"They don't need to be protected. They need to evolve."

All of us just looked at Banner. I realized where he was going with this. [Banner and I can sometimes figure out where the train of thought is going. Tony hates it. It's hilarious.]

"Ultron's going to evolve."

After that, all of us did our won thing. Steve and I sat out on the front porch getting lost in thought. I curled up next to him. He kissed my head. [I love it when he kisses my head.]

"Izzy," he whispered.

"Yeah?" I whispered back.

"I need you to stay here where I know you'll be safe."

I sat up and looked at him right in the eye. "No."

"Izzy—"

"I'm not letting you go anywhere without me. Face it Rogers, you're stuck with me which means wherever you go, I go. Capisce?"

He smiled. "Yes ma'am."

"And to make you feel better, I'll stay with Clint. All right?"

"Sounds like a plan."

We looked back at the view. _Maybe Clint's got the right idea here_ was what I thought that night. [Never going to happen. I have no clue on how to take care of a farm.] After some time had passed, we headed back inside and slept in the same bed. [NOTHING HAPPENED.] Unfortunately, we had to share the room with Tony. He _had_ to make a snide remark. Shortly afterward, he went to sleep.

I cuddled next to Steve and fell asleep. Before long, I woke up to an empty bed. [You have no idea how pissed I was that day. I still use it against Steve every now and then.] I tried to find Tony but the room was empty too. I rushed downstairs to find Laura standing alone in the living room. She looked over at me surprised that I was up.

She whispered, "Hurry."

So I ran out the door. I ran and ran and ran. The Quinjet was just about to take off when I saw it so I pushed myself past my limit. [I'm still surprised that my leg didn't give out.] Before the docking bay closed, I jumped in and rolled across the floor.

"Izzy?"

"Good technique there."

I slowly got up. My eyes found Steve's and I was beyond pissed. [I was ready to murder the man for leaving me behind. He doesn't do it anymore now.]

"Steven. Grant. Rogers. You son of a bitch," I yelled.

"Everyone back away. Grizzly girl's on the loose," Tony joked.

I flicked him off without tearing my gaze away from Steve.

"So what we discussed last night just _happened_ to go over your head."

"I want to keep you safe," was all he said.

Keeping my eyes on him, I walked towards him. I pulled the front of his uniform down so he was at eye level with me. [Steve told me that he was expecting me to punch him that day. Joke's on him.] I kissed him.

"Remember: wherever you go, I go."

[I'm just going to give you guys the cliff notes. We went to Seoul and failed to stop Ultron there. Nat got captured. The Maximoff Twins joined the fight. I may or may not have punched Wanda for what she did to Steve. Thor brought Vision to life. All of us went to Sokovia, yes including me. Steve didn't like it but oh well. 

Ultron was defeated but at a cost. Pietro died saving Clint. Sokovia was destroyed. Tony moved the team to a facility in Upstate New York. Thor left and so did Tony. Banner disappeared on us. Steve, Nat and I gathered the new members of the Avengers and began to train.]

While we trained, I looked over at Steve and smiled. He caught me looking at him.

"You got something to say Grizzly Bear?" he raised a brow.

"Yeah, I do."

Steve headed in my direction. He stood in front of me with his arms crossed against his chest.

"I'm listening."

"Two things: one, I need a better codename."

"And the second?"

"I've got your six. Got mine?" I smirked.

"Every time," he smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers, they belong to Marvel. I own my OC.**

"Bluargh. Damn Oedipus. B-Bluargh."

 _That…that's gross._ I found the lever and flushed the toilet. _Thank God my hair's up. This is the fifth time this week. I can't even go to the mission because of it. Why am I even puking so much?_ I get up from my knees and head to the sink. I brush my teeth to get rid of the horrible taste in my mouth. When I finish, I dry my mouth when FRIDAY speaks out.

"Are you all right Miss Izzy? Want me to call in Captain Rogers?" she asks.

"NO! Don't call him. It'll just distract him from the mission," I let out a small sigh, "Can you do a quick bioscan on me?"

"Of course. Would you like the results now?"

"Give me a second."

I leave the bathroom to sit on the bed. I don't know why I'm feeling nervous.

"Go ahead."

"Congratulations Miss Izzy. You're pregnant."

I'm in shock. "W-What? I-I can't be. Do it again."

"The results are the same."

"Okay, okay. Just breathe," I hide my face in my hands. "How far along am I?"

"Two months."

"That explains why none of my clothes are fitting my anymore," I mutter to myself.

"Would you like me to tell Captain Rogers?"

Even hiding my face, I can't but feel happy. I can even feel myself smiling.

"I'll tell him when the team returns. Don't mention this to Tony and don't show him the scans. Please."

"Tell the boss what?"

"You're awesome FRIDAY."

FRIDAY doesn't respond after that. I'm assuming she's doing whatever A.I.'s do. I sighed then stood up and made my way over to the full-length mirror next to the closet. Lifting my shirt up, I can see the somewhat noticeable bump.

"And I thought I was getting fat," I murmur to myself.

 _What's Steve going to say? We're not even married yet and there's a baby coming already. If we are keeping the baby, how can we raise it in an environment like this?_ I can feel my heart racing and my palms getting clammy. _Does he even_ want _to keep the baby? Oh god. What am I going to do?_

"Miss Izzy, I have a—"

"Jesus, Vision!" I gripped my heart.

Looking in the mirror, I finally notice him standing there. He's been wearing civilian clothes more and more. Today's choice is a sweater vest and slacks. _He looks good today. Wait, how long has he been standing there? Shit he saw the bump, didn't he?_

I turn to face him, "Knock or something Vis. Don't sneak up on people like that. You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I don't see how I can give you a heart attack from approaching you."

"It's just a figure of speech." I take a deep breath, "Now, what can I help you with?"

"I was wondering if you would like to be my taste tester. I made blueberry muffins."

I smile at him. "I would love to."

We leave the room and head for the kitchen. The walk is quiet. I take a glance over at him. I still can't believe JARVIS is somewhere inside. He's not JARVIS but he is at the same time. _This is super weird. JARVIS knew that I love eating blueberry muffins when I'm in a mood of sorts. I guess that's why Vis made some._ He catches me looking.

"Is there something the matter?"

"I'm sorry. I still can't get over the fact that you're basically the lovechild of JARVIS and Ultron."

"That is one way of putting it. I think."

"Well, at least you're more like JARVIS than Ultron. I mean JARVIS knew about the muffins. That's why you baked some, isn't it?"

"Yes, I have been noticing that you were not yourself lately."

I smile, "That's very considerate of you Vis. Thank you."

We walk into the kitchen and I'm pleasantly surprised. The entire countertop is spotless. No dishes in the sink. Plus, there's only a plate of hot, fresh blueberry muffins. I grab one of them and rip it in half. _The inside looks baked but how's the taste though?_ My teeth sink into the muffin.

"Well?" he asks.

My mouth's full so I nod while smiling. _It's moist. There's a perfect balance of sugar and blueberries. He added something too._

I swallow, "Did you add something else to the batch?"

"I added a pinch of cinnamon."

"Good idea. Can I take the whole batch?"

"Of course."

As I grab the plate, I catch a whiff of something from the drain. The smell makes my nose scrunch up and churn my stomach. I look over to Vision with my hand blocking my mouth.

"Did you cook something else by any chance?"

"No."

"Then why does it smell like—"

I can feel the muffin coming back up. _Oh fuck._ Without saying a word, I quickly hand the plate over to him and run for the closest bathroom. Out of pure luck, I make it to the toilet in time. I don't bother closing the door; getting to be a bit too busy puking my stomach out. And once again I'm doing the same routine: puke, flush the toilet, brush teeth, and leave bathroom. When I done, Vision has this unsure expression on his face.

"Are you—" he's cut off by FRIDAY.

"Miss Izzy, you better take a look at the news," she says.

I race to my room. The TV is already on thanks to FRIDAY. I can't believe what I'm seeing. The people of Lagos running around in fear. Wanda standing next to a partially destroyed building. She looks so frightened. _Did she do that on accident? What the hell happened?!_ Soon my phone begins ringing off the hook. I answer.

"What?"

"You seeing this?"

"No, I'm currently watching Supernatural. Of course I'm seeing it! Get me in contact with the reps. Now!"

"Damn. Someone's in a mood."

"Not now Mike! Just do it!"

"Okay, okay."

This whole debacle goes on for about a month. I never got to see or talk to anyone on the team because of how hectic it was. Endless calls from everyone. I even manage to get a small chat with T'Chaka, King of Wankanda, before he hung up on me when I tried to ease any tension he might have towards the team.

It's becoming too stressful. I know stress is bad for the baby so I handed things off to Mike, my assistant, and told him to call me if it's an _absolute_ emergency.

I'm ready for a nap. As I walk past an office, I hear the news being on. I backtrack and take a peek inside. It's Steve sitting at his desk watching the news on the computer. _Oh Steve._

"11 Wakandans were among those killed during a confrontation between the Avengers and a group of mercenaries in Lagos, Nigeria last month. The traditionally reclusive Wakandans were on an outreach mission in Lagos, when the attack occurred."

"Our people's blood is spilled on foreign soil not only because of the actions of criminals but by the indifference of those pledged to stop them. Victory at the expense of the innocent is no victory at all."

"The Wakandan king went on to—"

He puts the news on pause.

"He may be a king but he's very stubborn," I softly say.

Steve turns his head. When his eyes catch mine, I see a small smile on his face and relief in his eyes.

"Izzy."

"Hey."

I walk over to him and sit on his lap. He wraps his arms around me. His head rests on my shoulder. I wrap my arms around his neck so I don't lose my balance.

"I'm sorry I haven't come to see you. The incident riled up a lot of people. You wouldn't believe how many calls Mike and I took this past month."

"I can imagine."

Steve gets quiet real fast. _Odd._

"You okay?"

Steve doesn't say a word. All he does is pull me closer to him and hides his face in my neck.

"Steve talk to me. I know it was only last month and Rumlow is dead but what did he say to you? I can't help if you don't say anything."

He sighs, "He said "You know, he knew you. Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky. He remembered you. I was there. He got all weepy about it. Till they put his brain back in a blender. He wanted you to know something. He said to me "Please tell Rogers. When you gotta go…you gotta go." And you're coming with me." That's when he detonated the bomb and Wanda saved my life."

I'm shaking with rage. I even growl.

"That damn Oedipus' lucky he's already dead or else I would've murdered him with my bare hands."

The weight on my neck lightens. I lean back to see a small smile on his face.

"You really are something."

I can't help but smile, "We've been through this."

"I know, I know. How are you feeling? Any better?"

"I'm better at the moment. Good news, I know what's causing it."

"What?"

"I'll answer your question with a question. How do you feel about hearing the pitter-patter of little feet running around the facility?"

It goes right over his head. The confused expression on his face is adorable. _This dork, I swear._

"Apparently, I've been eating for two. I have a bun in the oven. The stork's coming in 6 months. Oh c'mon Rogers. Do I have to spell it out for you? I'm preg—"

His lips grab mine. _I love it when he does this._ We kiss for a few more minutes before he breaks contact. The largest, goofiest smile in the world is plastered right on Steve's face.

He lays his hand on my baby bump. "How far?"

"Three months now."

"And you thought that you were getting fat," Steve chuckles.

 _He laughed. That's good. I hate it when he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He's not Atlas for God's sake._

"Screw you Rogers," I smile.

"I'll leave that to you," he smirks.

"Smartass."

The happy moment is gone. His smile morphs into an expression of worry. Before I can say anything, we hear someone talking.

"They are operating outside and above the international law. Because that's the reality, if we don't respond to acts like these."

We stand up and head over to Wanda's room. She's like a sister to me. We tell each other everything. Hell, even Tigger loves her more than me. So we stand by the doorway and see her watching some talk show. Tigger is fast asleep in her lap. _So that's where he's been for the past month._

"What legal authority does an enhanced individual like Wanda Maximoff have to operate in Nigeri—"

I'm glad Steve turns the TV off. He stays in his spot but I walk in like I own the place. I sit on the bed to her right and wrap an arm around her shoulders. She rests her head on my shoulder.

"It's my fault," she says.

"Bullshit."

"That's not true."

"Turn the TV back on. They're being very specific."

"Don't listen to them Wanda. All of that talk is just to boost their ratings with the networks so they won't lose their show."

"I should've clocked that bomb vest long before you had to deal with it," Steve finally walks in, "Rumlow said "Bucky"…and all of a sudden I was a 16-year-old kid again, in Brooklyn."

Steve sits on the edge of the bed on Wanda's left. Now she's protected on both sides. _I hope she knows how much we care about her._

"And people died. It's on me."

"It's on both of us," Wanda states.

"This job…we try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody. But if we can't find a way to live with that…then next time…maybe nobody gets saved."

Using my left arm, I slap Steve upside the head. That gets me both of their attentions.

"Now that I have your attentions, listen up. Don't you _dare_ blame yourselves for what happened. You guys did the best you could. What if you hadn't stopped him? More people would've died and he would've won despite dying in a fiery explosion." I look down at Tigger in Wanda's lap, "Isn't that right Tigger?"

I scratch his head. He wakes up.

"Meow."

Tigger stretches and climbs out of Wanda's lap. He hops onto one of her chairs and continues his cat nap. _I swear Steve got me the laziest cat in the world._ I see her smiling.

"See? Tigger doesn't blame you and you shouldn't either. The both of you."

Steve takes my hand and kisses it. Boom! **(A/N: There was no actual explosion.)** Vision walks through the wall scaring the crap out of me.

"Vision!" I clutch my racing heart.

"Vis! We talked about this," Wanda tells him.

"Yes, but the door was open so I assumed that…Captain Rogers wished to know when Mr. Stark was arriving."

"Thank you. We'll be right down."

"I'll use the door," he heads for the door, "Oh, and apparently, he's brought a guest."

"We know who it is?" Steve asks.

"The Secretary of State," and he leaves.

I bolt up from the bed yelling, "Oh hell no! No one informed me of this! What's the point of being the goddamn liaison if Anthony's bringing in people unannounced? Ooooh, I'm going to murder him!"

Steve stands up and blocks my path. "Izzy, you need to breathe. Too much stress can harm the baby."

"I know, I know. It just boils my blood. Ugh!"

"Baby?" Wanda asks.

The two of us look at her then to each other. Steve smiles and nods. I look back at her with the biggest smile I can muster.

"Can we have you babysit the little one every now and then?"

"Oh my god."

She stands up and hugs me. Wanda even hugs Steve.

"Congratulations. When did you learn you were pregnant?"

"I learned last month but I didn't get the chance to tell everyone because of work."

"Izzy told me about ten minutes ago."

"I'm so happy for you two," Wanda smiles.

"I'm going to head down. Don't be late."

Steve kisses my head then leaves the room. I wait for a few seconds to make sure Steve's really gone. When I see he isn't coming back, I look to Wanda with a serious expression.

"Obviously, Steve and I barely even talked about it but I want you to be the baby's godmother. What do you say?"

"I…I…"

"Just think about it. Come on, we have a meeting to get to."

We leave her room after she changes into a fresh pair of clothes. When we get to the meeting, I glare at Ross and Stark. _They're dead._ I sit next to Steve which happens to be the other end of the table. There I am sitting right across from Ross. _Perfect._

The man sighs, "Five years ago…I had a heart attack…and dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turned out it was the best round of my life…because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass…I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me. Perspective."

I cut in, "I'm sorry for interrupting Ross but is there a point to this?"

He forces a smile. "I was getting to that Izzy. You need to be patient."

"Yeah, no. That walked out the door the minute you came here without notifying me or Mike." I turn my head to Tony. "That goes for you too Anthony."

Before I go any further, I feel Steve's hand on my knee. He gently squeezes it. I close my mouth.

"The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt."

 _No shit._

"You have fought for us…protected us, risked your lives…but while a great many people see you as heroes…there are some…who would prefer the word "vigilantes"."

"Heh. "Vigilantes" my ass," I mutter somewhat loudly.

At this moment, I literally have no fucks to give. Ross doesn't deserve my respect since he hasn't even earned it. This man is just a massive douche.

"What word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Nat asks.

"How about "dangerous"?"

I blink a few times. _Excuse me?!_

"What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals…who routinely ignore sovereign borders…and inflict their will wherever they choose…and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?"

 _That's it!_ I stand up and slam my hands onto the table. This gets everyone's attention. I can feel my blood boiling. I notice Steve isn't trying to stop me and neither is Sam or Nat. _Good._

"I call them heroes. If you want to start calling out the "vigilantes," why don't you start with Hell's Kitchen's own vigilante called the Dare Devil? Or the one guy who's been swinging on a web around Queens? And how _dare_ you say we don't care about what we leave behind. Of course we do! I want to see you trying to do what they're doing on a daily basis."

Ross doesn't say a word. He moves over and stands next to the glass screen. A map of the world appears with nine green dots scattered across it. _What's he planning?_

"New York," he says.

A video of the Chitauri invasion plays from the ground level. I have to say about that.

"That was an invasion. Did you really expect them to turn their backs? Not to mention, the World Security Council launched a nuke to kill the Avengers, not just the Chitauri. If it wasn't for Stark, Manhattan would've been a thing of the past."

"Weren't you there as well?" Ross raises a brow.

I grit my teeth. My hands turn into fists. My brace is gone but extremely rarely does it spasm. Sometimes, I have phantom pains which Steve doesn't even know about.

"Washington, D.C."

Another video is plays. This time is the Helicarrier crashing into the Potomac. _This piece of shit._

"They stopped HYDRA from dominating the entire world and murdering millions of innocent lives. And the US government did what to stop it?"

"Sokovia."

The video plays. _I cannot stand this jackass anymore. This has got to stop._

"Maybe _you_ can stop the next homicidal robot hell-bent on ending humanity. Hopefully, Anthony doesn't create another one," I growl.

"Lagos."

Then this son of a bitch plays the clip of the incident in Lagos. Wanda can't even look at it. That made me pissed beyond reason.

"You sleazy son of a—"

"Okay. That's enough," Steve says.

The video stops. I close my mouth. I'm not sure if it's towards me or to Ross. I glance at Steve. He gives me a look which I read "Don't push it any further." So, I do my best to remain quiet but I'm not going to sit down. _I'm not backing down from this asshole._

"For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power…and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution."

Ross' guard hands him a very thick book. He pushes it towards Wanda then starts walking around the table.

"The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries…it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead…they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel…only when and if that panel deems it necessary."

"What kind of bullshit is this?! I wasn't told by _anyone_ about these Accords. The team will operate "When and if the panel deems it necessary" is complete bullcrap. So say, God forbid, _another_ alien invasion happens, would it be considered "necessary" to the panel? Or how about when a country is dealing with a super villain bent on destroying it? Will the panel deem that "necessary" too or would it let the country's armed forces deal with it even if it means they'll lose many of their soldiers? The whole damn Accords is completely unnecessary."

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that," Steve calmly says.

"Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?" Steve doesn't answer. "If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes…you can bet there'd be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground."

"The hell it is," I yell.

"So, there are contingencies," Rhodey states.

"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna…to ratify the Accords. Talk it over."

"Oh, you better believe we will."

Ross and his guard start to leave.

"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Nat asks.

"Then you retire," and he leaves.

There's a moment of silence. I turn to Tony and walk towards him. Before I even get close to him two pairs of arms are holding me back. One pair belongs to Steve and the other belongs to Sam.

"Easy girl. Don't do something you're gonna regret later."

Steve leans into my ear and whispers, "Izzy, think of the baby."

I growl and walk over to the living room. I grab one of the throw pillows smash it into my face to scream my lungs out. Soon everyone else comes in. Tony sits by himself holding a throw pillow in his arms. Vision and Wanda sit on the same couch. Rhodey and Sam stand behind Steve. The latter's sitting down reading the Accords. Nat is sitting in her own spot. I'm at my wits end.

I look to Sam. "Hey Sam. Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Check if there's bread in the oven. I'm not sure if I left one in there or not."

"Yeah."

He walks into the kitchen and opens the oven door.

"There's nothing in here."

"Oops, my bad. Guess it's in the wrong oven," I smile.

"Wait, what?"

Sam looks at me then at Steve and back to me again. He's still processing it. It finally clicks. I can tell because this giant smile spreads across his face.

"Y'all serious?"

"Dead ass," I state.

"Oh my god. I'm going to be an uncle."

He walks back to hug me. Sam walks over to Steve. He stands up. The two do a bro hug. Everyone else are still figuring out what's going on. Obviously, Wanda already knows. I turn to look at Nat and I see a knowing smile on her face. _Of course she knew before I did._ Tony has yet to say anything about it. Rhodey smiles. Vision appears to be confused.

"Vis, you good?" I ask.

"Now it all makes sense. The cravings, vomiting constantly in the bathroom, the mood swings," he says.

"Excuse me?" I raise a brow.

Somewhere behind me I hear a very soft "Uh-oh." I don't bother turning around. I'm currently more focused on the fact Vision said I have mood swings.

"There are studies that state when a woman is pregnant, her hormones elevate to a higher percentage. This will cause the woman to have mood swings. One minute, she is happy and in another minute, she is angry. It is the same when a woman is menstruating."

"Have you ever felt being stabbed in your uterus every time you move a muscle? Because I sure as hell have. So has Wanda and practically every woman on the entire planet. Do women cry and lay around in bed all day? No. We suck it up and go to work. Of course we'll bitch about it but that's the life of a woman. Now, would you like to know how it feels to be stabbed in the uterus? I can help with that."

I make my way towards Vision when I feel a pair of arms pulling me back. I know these arms. They belong to Steve. He drags me back. When we reach his spot, he pulls me into his lap and places a copy of the Accords on my lap. We start reading it.

"This is all complete bullshit by the way," I say.

That seems to spark an argument between Sam and Rhodey. They go at it for a bit.

"Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor…which is one more than you have."

"So let's say we agree to this thing."

"I don't," I add.

"How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?"

"As fast as an electron," I answer without taking my eyes off the page.

 _This is pretty interesting. I hate everything it stands for but it's interesting._ Sam high-fives me.

"117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam and Izzy, and you two are just like, "No, that's cool. We got it"."

"Well, they can kiss my ass because I don't agree to any of this."

"You're the liaison to the United Nations," Rhodey states.

"I don't care. They pulled this on us without notifying me. They have no right to do that."

"I have an equation," Vision says.

"Oh, this will clear it up," Sam sarcastically says.

"This'll be good," I add.

All of us look to Vision waiting for him to explain his "equation."

"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man…the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. During the same period…the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."

"Are you saying it's our fault?" Steve asks.

"Or Stark's?" I say.

"I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict…breeds catastrophe. Oversight…oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand."

"Boom," Rhodey says.

I turn my head staring at Rhodey with a "What the fuck" face. Sam does it too. _Whatever Vis said is confusing as hell. God, I wish Banner's here._

"Tony. You are being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal," Nat states.

"It's because he's already made up his mind," Steve concludes.

I nearly give myself whiplash from how fast I turn my head.

"What?!" I shout.

"Boy, you know me so well." Tony slowly sits up and walks into the kitchen. "Congratulations on the baby by the way. That's exactly what we need, another carbon-based lifeform with the super soldier serum running through its blood."

"Say it again. I dare you."

I feel Steve tightening his grip around my waist. He's trying to keep my from murdering Tony with my bare hands. _Now that I think about it, I can probably do the same things Steve does. Cool._

"Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort," I see him looking down at the sink drain, "Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal?" Tony turns around facing us. "Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?"

 _So that's the smell that makes me puke. Now, what crawled up his ass and died?_ He sets up a holographic image of a young African American man. The kid can't be older than 24. _What are you getting at Stark?_ I narrow my eyes at him.

"Oh, that's Charles Spence, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA…had a floor-level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul…before he parked it behind a desk. See the world.

"Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where. Sokovia."

All of us fall quiet. I'm keeping my mouth shut since I know Tony isn't done talking.

"He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. We won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass," he takes a sip of his coffee. "There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations…if we're boundary-less…we're no better than the bad guys."

"Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up," Steve says.

"Who said we're giving up?"

"You are," I answer.

I'm not keeping my mouth shut any longer. I will make sure my voice and opinions are heard. _Why is he being such a damn idiot?!_

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions."

"Which we are."

"This document just shifts the blame."

"So it's decided. We're burning the Accords. Who's in?"

"You got my vote," Sam says.

"I'm sorry Steve and Izzy. That is dangerously arrogant," Rhodey states.

"Excuse me?"

"This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA."

"I've been the liaison for you guys for how many years now? This entire thing is just a political way of saying "If you don't stop, you're all grounded." Like hell I'm going to be bossed around by incompetent idiots who don't know what the hell they're doing."

"No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change," Steve says.

"Exactly!"

"That's good. That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands…I shut it down and stopped manufacturing."

"Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own."

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I practically said to Ross during the meeting."

"Izzy, you were being disrespectful to the Secretary of State," Rhodey says carefully.

I'm not sure if it's my hormones or something else entirely that's making me this way. Either way, I'm using it to my advantage. _Come on. Argue with me and see what'll happen._

"I've established a rocky relationship with him. He tells me to do something, I ignore it and do it my way. Ross complains but I don't give a fuck about it. Plus, he knows not to mess with me. Oh and I quit being the liaison between you guys and the United Nations. I've already handed everything over to Mike so if you have any questions, he's the man now."

It doesn't even seem to faze any of them. _Oh well, at least now I can relax a bit more._

"If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty," Tony says.

"You're saying they'll come for me," Wanda concludes.

"Over my dead body," I shout.

"We would protect you," Vision adds.

"Maybe Tony's right," Nat says.

 _Did she just say that? No, she couldn't have._ I stare at Nat like she just grew a second head.

"If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off…"

"Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?" Sam asks.

"No, it couldn't _possibly_ be the same woman. That woman is a badass. I have no idea who this woman in front of me is," I add.

"I'm just reading the terrain. We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back."

"Focus up. I'm sorry. Did I just mishear you…or did you agree with me?"

"I want to take it back now."

"No, you can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented."

I hear a buzzing sound. I glance over to see Steve holding out his phone. He's reading a text. I catch a glimpse of it and know what it means. _Peggy's gone._ I'm glad I managed to meet her. She was an amazing woman. I get off Steve's lap knowing he'll need a minute.

"I have to go," and he leaves the room.

I follow after him. As I pass by Wanda and Vision, she grabs my hand. I look over at her with confusion.

"I would be honored to be the godmother," she says softly.

I smile, "Thank you."

She releases my hand and I continue to go after Steve. I find him leaning up against the railing at the bottom of the staircase. His face is hidden but I know he's completely devastated. I make my way down the stairs. I stop on one of the steps so I'm at the same height he is. All I do is lay a hand on his shoulder.

"Steve," I whisper.

He just hugs me. We don't say anything. I hold the back of his head and softly kiss the side of it. Sometimes we don't need to comfort each other with words. As long as we're together, that's all the comfort we need. After some time has passed, Steve whispers to me like it's a secret only for my ears to hear.

"Can we name the baby after her?"

I gently run my hand through his hair. "You got it. Let's see. Margaret for a girl, we can give her the nickname Peggy or Maggie. Carter for a boy. And I know we haven't talked much about it but I asked Wanda to be the baby's godmother. She said yes. Is that all right?"

"That's perfect."

"I'm so sorry Steve. I know how much she means to you."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, they belong to Marvel. I own my OC.**

I sit next to Sam before the funeral starts. I begin wringing my hands. These past three days were hell for Steve. I can't help him, not in the way I want to. I continue to wring my hands until Sam takes mine into his.

"It's going to be all right."

"How do you know? I've never seen him like this in all of the years I've known him."

"You need to have faith that Steve is going to be all right."

I don't get the chance to speak when the choir begins to softly sing. _How can something sound so beautiful yet be completely devastating to one's soul?_ I'm forcing myself not to look back. There's a pain in my heart. Somehow, I know it's Steve and that he's been crying. A lot. I'm crying too.

Sam and I stand in the first row because we came with Steve. When Steve and the other men gently place Peggy's casket down, they take their seats. There I am, sitting between Sam and Steve. Steve intertwines his hand with mine and doesn't let go. The priest begins to talk about all of the good Peggy has done and so forth. I, however, begin to space out. For some weird reason, I start to think back when Wanda was still getting used to being an Avenger.

* * *

It was late at night and I couldn't get any sleep even with Steve sleeping next to me. I made my way to the kitchen to make hot chocolate when I saw the lights were already on.

"Hello?" I ask.

There was a clattering sound. I turned the corner to find Wanda holding down the mugs.

"Wanda? What are you doing up?"

"I can't sleep. What about you?"

"I'm in the same boat as you. Why are you in the kitchen?"

"I was trying to make coffee but…"

I smiled, "Don't worry, I get it. Take a seat on the bar stool. I'll make us some hot chocolate."

Wanda took a seat at the bar. It didn't take long for me to make the hot chocolates. I grabbed the can of whip cream from the fridge and the bag of marshmallows from the pantry. I set Wanda's mug in front of her.

"Whip cream?"

She nodded. I spray a large amount of it in her mug then placed some marshmallows on top. I do the same to my mug. We both sip the warm chocolatey goodness. The silence was comforting.

"You were the woman in his vision," she whispered so softly I nearly missed it.

"What?"

"Back when I was with Ultron, Steve and the others were trying to stop us on Klaus' ship."

"What the hell happened? No one told me anything. I couldn't get Steve to tell me. Still can't til this day."

"The vision was about you. He walks into an apartment to find you bleeding to death on the floor. Steve cradled you in his arms. You stare at him with dead eyes and said "Why didn't you save me Steve? I thought I could count on you. This is all your fault." Then you died in his arms."

I was silent. I didn't know what to say to that but that did explain Steve's behavior. What I did though was reached across the countertop and held her hand. We had a silent agreement to forgive and forget. After that night, the two of us are inseparable.

* * *

I'm broken out of my trance when I hear the priest say the name "Sharon Carter." I look up to see a blonde woman with hazel eyes take the podium. _Where have I seen her before?_ I gently nudge Steve to look up. When he does, I see a mixed expression of confusion and surprise. I glance to see the same expression on Sam's face too. _Just who is this woman?_

"Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of SHIELD…but I just knew her as Aunt Peggy."

 _Holy shit._ I notice Sharon looking right at Steve. I feel myself frowning a little.

"She had a photograph in her office. Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But it was a lot to live up to. Which is why I never told anyone we were related."

 _That's definitely directed to Steve. I just know it._ My suspicion is confirmed when I see Steve making a "Now it all makes sense" kind of face. _Did something happen between them?_

"I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage…in a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either. She said, compromise where you can. But where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move…it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree…look them in the eye and say "No, you move"."

The rest of the funeral goes on like any other funeral. After a few hours, it ends. People begin to leave the church until it's just Steve and I left. I stand next to him with his hand in mine. He squeezes it as reassurance that I'm still here. We hear someone coming up from behind us. We turn to see Nat walking down the aisle.

I let go of his hand to go hug Nat. She hugs back. The two of us watch the wall around Steve lower themselves. _I'm really glad Nat is here._

"When I came out of the ice, I thought everyone I had known was gone. Then I found out she was alive. I was just lucky to have her."

"She had you back, too."

"And you visited her every chance you had," I add.

Steve nods. He makes a "Let's get this over with" face.

"Who else signed?" he asks.

"Tony, Rhodey, Vision."

"Of course those three did."

"Clint?"

"Says he's retired."

"Good for him. He needs to stay with Laura and the kids," I state.

Thinking of Clint and his family, I rest a hand on the growing baby bump. _Can Steve and I have what Clint has? Is that even possible?_

"Wanda?"

"TBD. I'm off to Vienna for the signing of the Accords. There's plenty of room on the jet. You too Izzy."

Steve sighs. I wring my hands. _There's no way I can go to this conference without verbally assaulting the entire United Nations._

"Just because it's the path of least resistance…doesn't mean it's the wrong path. Staying together is more important than how we stay together."

"What are we giving up to do it?" Steve asks.

It's Nat's turn to not respond.

"I'm sorry, Nat. I can't sign it."

"Izzy?"

"You witnessed my reaction to the Accords with Ross. There's no way in hell that I'm signing it. Besides, I quit. Remember? I'm not dealing with this shit anymore."

"I know."

"Then what are you doing here?" Steve asks.

"I didn't want you to be alone."

"And that makes me what? Chopped liver?" I playfully add.

The two of them hug. I can't be jealous of their relationship. When they're done, Nat shifts her attention to me.

"What?"

She hugs me whispering, "Take care of him. He's going to need all the love and support you can muster."

"Of course I will. Who do you think you're talking to?"

"I want pictures of the baby."

"Well duh. You're the baby's second godmother after all."

Nat then leaves the church. I turn to Steve. He kisses my lips softly. I kiss back with the same gentleness. Our foreheads touch.

"Thank you for being here."

"Remember: wherever you go, I go."

We leave the church together. As I'm go to ask him about Sharon, I hear her voice.

"Steve?"

We look over to see her at the sidewalk. _Was she waiting for us?_ When we get on the sidewalk, Sharon walks towards us.

"I'm glad you came."

"I wasn't going to miss this."

She looks at me, "I don't think we've met. I'm Sharon."

"Izzy. You seem really familiar. I've seen you around somewhere."

Sharon shrugs, "I get that a lot."

 _Her voice sounds oddly familiar too._ It finally clicks. I remember her now.

"You were my RA during my second year of college. There was a new one after you "transferred" the following year," I state.

"I didn't think you'd remember."

"Was SHIELD watching me the whole time too?"

"That was Fury's call."

"But why? I'm an ordinary person, nothing special."

"Don't say that," I feel Steve kissing my head. "You _are_ special. No one can do the things you do."

"Are you two…" Sharon somewhat asks.

"Yes," Steve answers.

"I'm glad," she smiles.

I know when someone is forcing a smile and this woman is doing it 100%. _Is she jealous?_ So the three of us walk back to the hotel. We talk about small things. Chit-chat. We finally walk into the lobby of the hotel and head for the elevators.

"My mom tried to talk me out of enlisting…but, um, not Aunt Peggy. She bought me my first thigh holster."

"Very practical."

"And stylish."

"Oh, now I want one."

Steve looks at me with a serious expression, "That's never gonna happen."

"Why not? I know how to shoot. Nat's been teaching me. She says I'm good. Besides, since when have I ever listened to you?"

"I don't care how well Nat is training you. You're still not getting one. Maybe this time you will listen."

"When Hell freezes over but not at the moment Rogers."

We always flirts like this out in public. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sharon standing there a bit awkwardly. _Good._

"Are you two always like this?" she asks.

"All the time," I answer.

She doesn't say anything else. Sharon presses the elevator button. We all wait for it. Steve picks up the conversation.

"CIA has you stationed over here now?"

"Berlin. Joint Terrorism Task Force."

"Right. Right. Sounds fun."

"I know, right?"

Now _I'm_ the one who's the awkward third wheel. _You can cut the sexual tension with a damn knife. I'm not liking this one bit._

"I've been meaning to ask you. When you were spying on me from across the hall…"

 _She did what now? You and I'll be having a talk Captain Rogers._

"You mean when I was doing my job."

"Did Peggy know?"

"She kept so many secrets. I didn't want her to have one from you."

The elevator dings. I'm glad the conversation is over.

"Thanks for walking me back."

"Sure."

"It's great seeing you again," she tells me.

"Yeah, same."

"Steve, Izzy. There's something you two gotta see," Sam shows up.

All of us head up to the hotel room. Sam turns the TV on and I'm shocked. The assembly where the UN was meeting is destroyed. _If I didn't quit, I was supposed to be there._ Panic begins to crawl its way through my body before settling in my heart. _Oh my god. Mike is suppose to be there. Is he alive? Dead? What about Nat?_

"A bomb's hidden in a news van…"

"Who's coordinating?" Sharon asks over the phone.

"Ripped through the UN building in Vienna."

"Good. They're solid. Forensics?"

"More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead, including Wakanda's King T'Chaka."

"Oh my god," I whisper.

"Official's have released a video of a suspect…who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes…the Winter Soldier."

I start to feel a bit dizzy. The corners of my vision start to go black. I try not to draw attention to myself.

"The infamous HYDRA agent…linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations."

"I have to go to work," Sharon says.

Soon she leaves. It's just me and the boys. I grip the table hard so I don't fall from passing out. It's getting to be too much.

"So we're going," Sam states.

"Now."

Before I go and follow Steve, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn to see a worried expression on Sam's face.

"You okay Izzy? Looking a bit pale there."

"What?"

Now Steve's in my line of sight. I see the start of the same worried expression as Sam's.

"I'm fine guys. Let's just get to Vienna."

"Izzy, you're about to pass out. Stay here and rest up. Sam and I will go to Vienna."

"Your lips are turning blue. I'll be right back," and Sam leaves the room.

"You're not going anywhere without me Rogers."

"It's too dangerous for you and the baby."

"We will be fine. The baby has the super soldier serum running through its blood which means I have it too. So stop worrying."

Sam comes back with packets of salt. He hands one to me.

"Your sodium is low. Take this and you should be fine."

"See? Even Sam thinks I'll be fine."

I open the packet and dump the salt in my mouth. _So much salt._ Eventually, I swallow it.

"Fine about what?" he asks.

"About her tagging along with us to Vienna," Steve answers.

"Ha. That's never gonna happen," Sam states.

"I can do whatever the hell I want. Besides, do you _really_ want to piss me off while I'm pregnant? I'd choose your next words carefully," I threaten.

Sam instantly shuts his mouth. Steve, on the other hand, appears he wants to speak.

"You got something to say Rogers?" I raise a brow.

"You're either staying next to Sam or next to me. Don't even _think_ about going off on your own. Got it?"

"Roger that," I smirk.

Steve pulls me into his arms whispering in my ear, "If anything happens to you, I'll never forgive myself."

"And I'll kick your ass for putting that guilt on your heart."

"Yes ma'am," Steve laughs softly.

In a matter of minutes, all of our stuff are packed and we're out the door. Sam goes to check us out while Steve and I wait outside. I don't know how but we make it to Vienna rather fast. I think Sharon has something to do with it. _She's up to something._

Steve and I stand close to the area where the emergency tents are set up. He wears a hat and sunglasses. _I wish he would wear a better disguise._ I, however, am wearing a jacket with the hood up and my non-prescription glasses. Basically, I look like a hipster chewing gum; which I am. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Steve pull out his phone. _I hope to God Nat and Mike are alive. Please let them be alive._ I can hear Nat answering thanks to the super hearing from the baby.

"Yeah?"

"You all right?" Steve asks.

I can feel my heart slowing down a little. I'm still worried about Mike though.

"Uh, yeah, thanks. I got lucky."

I watch Nat standing up and searching for us. We're at a good distance from her. She's not going to find us.

"I know how much Barnes means to you. I really do. Stay home with Izzy. You'll only make this worse. For all of us. Please."

"Are you saying you'll arrest us?"

"No. Someone will. If you interfere. That's how it works now. Don't drag Izzy into this. Think of your baby."

 _Can't believe she pulled the baby card._ Suddenly, I'm pulled into Steve's side. His hand protectively covers the baby bump. I glance up to see a smile on his face even if it's small.

"I am. Unfortunately, she's already forced herself in on this. If he's this far gone, Nat, I should be the one to bring him in."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the one least likely to die trying."

Steve nearly hangs up but I snatch the phone from him.

"Nat?"

"Izzy."

"Mike?" I hear my voice crack a little.

"A few cuts and bruises. He's fine."

"Thank god."

"Leave while you can Izzy."

I feel the corner of my mouth tug up, "Remember: I'm reckless, not a coward."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

I hang up, pass the phone to Steve and we leave. The two of us enter a busy café where Sam's waiting for us at the bar counter. Sam's also wearing a cap and sunglasses. _They seriously need better disguises._ I stand between them. Like Steve said, I have to stick next to either of them. The middle is always better.

"She tell you to stay out of it?" Sam asks.

"Said the same thing to me," I answer.

"Might have a point."

I elbow him in the ribs. I watch him discreetly rub the area I hit him.

"He'd do it for me," Steve states.

"1945, maybe. I just want to make sure we consider all our options. The people that shoot at you usually wind up shooting at me. Now, they're going to shoot at this one."

I feel myself frowning, "I can take care of myself, you know."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sharon taking the seat to Steve's right. _What the hell is she doing here?_

"Tips have been pouring in since that footage went public. Everybody thinks the Winter Soldier goes to their gym. Most of it's noise. Except for this."

I watch her slide a manila folder to Steve. He doesn't open it yet. Not in public.

"My boss expects a briefing, pretty much now…so that's all the head start you're gonna get."

"Thank you," Steve says.

"You're gonna have to hurry. We have orders to shoot on sight," and she leaves.

After a few more minutes, we leave the café. I pop in another piece of gum and begin to chew. _What's she up to? Handing Steve the intel was nice and all but what's her end game?_ I'm completely in my own world I don't notice Sam's talking to me.

"Izzy."

I blink a few times. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What were you saying?"

"We found Barnes. We're suiting up."

"Oh, ok. Let's go."

Sam stands in front of me, blocking the path. I glare at him. _Does he want me to take him down? I'll do it in a heartbeat._

"Are you sure you want to tag along? It's going to get dangerous. Not just for you but for Sam Jr. too."

"Of course I'm sure. There's no way in hell I'm letting Steve do this without me. And we're _not_ naming the baby Sam Jr."

"Hey, it works for a girl too."

"No."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers, they belong to Marvel. I own my OC.**

Turns out Barnes is in Bucharest. The next day, we already find the apartment he's been using for who knows how long. Now, we're waiting for him to come back. Steve's already in his Captain America suit. Sam's in his Falcon get up. I'm, unfortunately, not in a superhero suit. It's an old SHIELD combat suit.

Obviously, the insignia is gone but there's extra Kevlar padding around my stomach and some pouches attached to my hips and thighs filled with my fun discus. What I love about them is that they're like Clint's arrows. A different discus for a particular situation. Anyway, I'm sticking with Sam while Steve tries to talk to Bucky. He thinks the man will be more willing to come with us if I'm not there. _I might end up scaring him now that I think about it._

"Penny for a thought?" Sam asks.

"Everything's going to be fine, right?" I look to the man next to me.

He smiles, "Yep. Now, have you two actually thought of some names?"

"Carter for a boy. Margaret for a girl. I'm thinking of giving them middle names. Carter Arthur and Margaret Maxine."

"M&M and Carter Arthur." Sam nods, "I can get behind them. Why those two names?"

I shrug, "I've always liked the name Arthur. For Maxine, well…I wanted to name her after Wanda's and Pietro's last name. A variety of nicknames to choose from: Max, M&M, Peggy, Maggie, or whatever she can come up with. Maxine, Maximoff. See where I'm going with this?"

"I think Wanda will greatly appreciate it."

"You think?" I ask.

"100%"

Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement. I nudge Sam. He finally sees it.

"Heads up, Cap. German Special Forces, approaching from the south."

"Understood."

"And for my sanity. Don't do anything reckless," I add.

"Isn't that your department Mama Bear?"

I can just picture him smiling.

"Smartass."

Sam and I watch as the Germans get themselves ready. I grab a discus just in case.

"They've set the perimeter," Sam states.

"Clock's ticking. Get his ass out of there before I have to do it myself."

"They're entering the building."

"Steve."

I stand up and turn to see them on the roof. _Oedipus._ With the discus in hand, I'm ready to knock them out. _That's right. Fight a pregnant woman and see what'll happen to you._ Before I get the chance, Sam pulls me behind him.

"They're on the roof. We're compromised."

"Damn it," I mutter.

"Five seconds."

Out of nowhere, my vision starts getting blurry. I rub my eyes hoping it'll go away. It doesn't. _Not now for Pete's sake._ I grip onto Sam's shirt praying he feels it.

"Three seconds."

It's getting worse. My entire vision is going black.

"Breach! Breach! Breach!"

"Sam."

He finally turns to look at me. I can see panic in his eyes. Everything's getting darker.

"Mama Bear, keep those eyes open."

 _I can't._ The last thing I hear before the light goes out is Sam's voice.

"IZZY!"

 **~Normal POV~**

"Sam, southwest rooftop."

"Who the hell's the other guy?"

"About to find out. Izzy?"

No response.

"She's out Cap."

Steve jumps onto the rooftop where Bucky is fighting with someone in a cat suit.

"What the hell happened?!" _I knew I shouldn't have let her join. Damn it._

"Don't know. She was perfectly fine then faints. I've got her somewhere safe."

Steve spots a helicopter firing at Bucky and cat suit guy.

"Sam."

"Got him." He knocks the tail of the helicopter which spins out of control and he leaves. "I'm checking on Mama Bear."

 **~Back to Izzy~**

I can hear someone calling my name. _Who's calling?_ Next, I feel my shoulder being shaken. A tap on my cheek. My damn eyes aren't opening. _Oedipus!_ I force my eyes to open. Everything's blurry but at least there's light. A shadow stands before me. As my vision clears, I see that it's Sam.

"Sam?"

"Jesus girl. You know how to scare the shit out of us."

I realize something; the mission. I try to stand up but Sam's already pushing me to sit back down.

"Sam," I warn him.

"Uh-uh. You sit your ass down."

"How long was I out?"

"A few minutes."

"Steve?"

"After Barnes. Plus, a new person decided to join."

"Who?"

"No clue. Dude's in a cat suit."

I stand up, "Get me to Steve. Now."

"I'm not taking you anywhere."

"Fine. I'll get there myself."

I look to my right and see the rooftop's ledge. I run to it. When I get close, I jump over the ledge towards the next rooftop down below. It's approaching fast. I brace myself for the impact.

Next thing I feel is air and a pair of arms holding me from under my arms. _Knew it._ Looking up, I see Sam. He looks down at me. I smirk. Sam frowns.

"I swear. You two are made for each other," he mutters under his breath.

"You can bitch later. Now step on it."

Sam flies like crazy. We're catching up to Steve when I hear him over the coms.

"Sam, I can't shake this guy."

"Right behind you."

"What am I? Chopped liver?"

"Izzy?!"

"Yes, I'm fine. Yes, I'm with Sam. Yes, we're coming to save your ass. Now pay attention to the road."

I get myself ready. I lift my leg so I can pull out a discus from the pouch. Sam swoops into the tunnel from one of the open air ceilings and we haul ass. Standing in the middle of the road is a guy in a cat suit. _For once, Sam's not crazy._ Cat suit guy spots us.

 _Oedipus._ I throw one of the discus at him but he deflects it. _Damn it._ He jumps at us but doesn't attack. The fucker hitches a ride by grabbing onto Sam's foot. Sam tries to kick him off.

"Lower me. I'm gonna try to get him off," I shout.

While still keeping us airborne, Sam manages to lower me by holding onto both hands. I can't reach him.

"Falcon, let go of my hands."

"No."

"Do you want the bastard off you or not?"

"Just don't die. Cap'll kill me."

He releases one hand. I grab onto his shirt. I feel Sam letting go of the other hand. Slowly, I climb down until I reach cat dude. I'm practically hanging off Sam's hip. My foot is in kicking distance of the bastard's face. I kick him as hard as I can. Before the baby, my kicks were good but now, holy shit. Cat dude blocks all of the kicks.

I feel blood oozing from somewhere. Instinctively, I put my hand between my legs. I'm not giving a fuck on how this looks but my baby is too damn important. I don't feel anything. _Thank god._ Looking down, I see a dark stain on my calf. I growl. _The jackass just had to carve my right calf like it's a damn turkey._

He doesn't stay too long on Sam's foot. The man climbs onto Sam's back. I'm staying in my spot. We're getting closer to Bucky, who's now on a motorcycle, tosses a small metal sphere that attaches itself to the ceiling. _Really hoping it's not a bomb._ It explodes. _This asshole._ Before we get caught in the debris, Sam suddenly stops. That slingshots cat dude right into the debris. I almost fall off but Sam lowers me to the ground. He lands as the wings retract.

"Thanks."

"Hey, you're my lil sis. Of course I'm saving your sorry ass."

"Whatever."

"Bitch."

"Jerk." **(A/N: Who understands this reference?)**

It's not the end of cat dude. He manages to get through the debris and pops the bike's tire with his claw. Sam and I watch all of this happen off to the side at a safe distance. I see a car about to hit the concrete rubble but it turns sideways and running out of it is my boyfriend, Steve Rogers. _I thought I told him not to do anything reckless._ The car hits the concrete rubble and flips a few times before skidding to a stop.

I watch him tackle cat dude off Bucky. Before anything else happens, the cops surround them. _Shit._ Then, a familiar suit flies in. It's War Machine. _Really Rhodey?_ He lands with weapons aiming at the three men.

"Stand down, now," Rhodey orders.

I feel Sam holding onto my arm. I growl.

"Sam, let me go."

"Congratulations, Cap. You're a criminal."

 _That's it!_ I pull out a discus ready to aim it at Rhodey's head. Sam stops me. He holds down my arm.

"Don't. You throw that, bullets are gonna fly," he whispers.

"Fine," I hiss.

Soon the cops are taking us from our hiding spots and herding us to a car. One officer approaches me. I watch his eyes glance down. Curious, I see what he's looking at. I feel a cold sweat running down my back. _Oh no._ The padding around my stomach is gone. Now my 3 month baby bump is out in the open.

I look back to the officer. His eyes show concern. He calls over for another officer. The two speak quietly. One leaves and comes back with a jacket. He hands it to the officer then leaves. The man hands me the jacket.

"Bitte schön." (Here you go.)

 _Thank god I know German._

"Vielen Dank." (Thank you.)

He waits patiently as I put on the jacket. Once it's on, he ushers me towards the car. I watch cat dude take his helmet off. Turns out cat dude is T'Challa, King of Wakanda. _Fucking hell._

Rhodey addresses him, "Your Highness."

They leads us to the car. We take off our suits when Rhodey tells us to and we hand them off. Having my civilian clothes back on, I hold onto the jacket before handing it back to the officer. As they take us into the car, the officer takes me off to the side.

"Ja?" I ask.

He speaks to me in a somewhat broken English, "How long you been pregnant?"

"Three months."

"You do not know sex of baby?"

"Not yet."

I hand him back the jacket but he shakes his head.

"No, you keep. Helps keep warm."

"Thank you," I smile.

I spot a small faint smile on the man's face. He nods. He leads me back into the car. With no more space, I sit next to Steve. I watch the officer tell something to the other cops. _Maybe it's about my pregnancy._

"Izzy."

I turn to face Steve with a smile, "Hi."

Steve doesn't say anything else. All he does is cups my face with his hands and our foreheads touch. I can visibly see his body relaxing.

"We're fine. Hungry but fine," I whisper.

He nods. Someone clears their throat. I watch Steve looking over my shoulder. His brows go up in surprise. Now, I'm turning to see what's got him so surprised. The door of the car is still open and there are four officers, including the one who arrested me, standing in a small line. Each of them had something in his hand.

One by one, they hand me the items; an apple, a granola bar, a water bottle and a small blanket. My arresting officer gives me a curt nod before slamming the door shut. I take small bites out of the apple even though I'm starving. The car starts to move. _Well, that was nice of them._

We're still on the road. It's taking a bit to get to wherever they're taking us. By now, the apple, granola bar and water bottle are all finished. It's a little chilly so I bring the blanket closer to my stomach. This entire time, no one's said a word until Sam opens his big mouth now.

"So, you like cats?" he asks T'Challa.

"Sam."

"Dude."

"What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat, you don't wanna know more?"

 _He's gotta point._

"Your suit…it's vibranium?" Steve asks.

T'Challa finally speaks, "The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations. A mantle, passed down from warrior to warrior. And now, because your friend murdered my father…I also wear the mantle king. So, I ask you…as both warrior and king…how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?"

Steve doesn't answer. I, on the other hand, do.

"Long enough to prove his innocence. He didn't do it," I state.

T'Challa turns to look at me, "So you are the infamous Izzy. My father had spoken highly of you."

"He did?" _I just thought I annoyed the hell out of him._

"He was impressed by the way you stood your ground when you two had that phone conference. He told me "She is like a lioness defending her cubs. You will see it when you meet her." My father was disappointed when you did not show up yesterday."

"I quit a few days prior to the signing. Mike took lead on it."

"And he did a good job but my father had wished to see you. He liked your spirit. And now that I am talking to you, I finally see what he saw in you," and he turns back to face the front.

I'm shocked. I never knew how much T'Chaka actually liked me. _I never knew._ My vision starts to blur. I blink once and a tear falls out. I blink again and another falls out. And another. Then another. Now, I'm just crying but I don't make a sound. I feel Steve watching me.

He takes my hand into his but doesn't wipe my tears away. All he does is rub his thumb on the back of my hand in a circular motion. I'm grateful for it. _God, I love this man._ Just this comforts me more than words.

We finally reach our destination. As the car is parked, we exit. Steve watches Bucky's containment thing being hauled away. Our hands are still entwined. All four of us walk towards Sharon and her boss; I think it's her boss.

"What's gonna happen to him?" Steve asks.

"Same thing that ought to happen to you. Psychological evaluation and extradition."

"This is Everett Ross, Deputy Task Force Commander," Sharon introduces.

"What about a lawyer?" Steve asks.

"Lawyer. That's funny."

"Hey!" Everett looks at me, "Everyone has the right to a lawyer. So why don't you get off your high horse and get the man a lawyer."

"We're not in the US sweetheart."

 _Sweetheart?!_

"See their weapons are placed in lockup. We'll write you a receipt," Everett taunts.

He turns. I raise my hand to slap the man but Steve catches my other hand. Steve gives me a "Don't do anything reckless" face. I frown. He discreetly kisses my head then releases my other hand. _This Ross is just as bad as Secretary Ross._

"I better not look out the window and see anybody flying around in that," Sam complains.

"Nobody better touch my equipment. They're touch sensitive."

Right as I say that, I hear a shout. I turn around to find someone stuck in foam which is hardening. That's my favorite one.

"Didn't I just say that they're touch sensitive?" I shout.

I watch Steve looking back at Bucky. Bucky's eyes catch mine. Before the elevator doors closed, I place a hand over my stomach, smile and mouth 'It's his.' The man doesn't respond but I see something flash in his eyes. Joy? Pride? I have no clue. Steve squeezes my hand. I follow his lead.

We follow Everett as he takes us out from the garage and into one of the main buildings. As we're walking through an enclosed bridge connecting the two buildings, Everett speaks.

"You'll be provided with an office instead of a cell. Now, do me a favor, stay in it?"

"I don't intend on going anywhere," T'Challa states.

"What if I have to use the bathroom?" I ask.

"Hold it in," was Everett's response.

"You're telling a pregnant woman to hold her pee? You've got a death wish," I state.

As we head to the other side, Nat walks with us. She walks next to the three of us.

"For the record, this is what making things worse looks like."

"I thought it would be worse," I add.

"He's alive," is all Steve says.

"No."

 _Oedipus. Not Tony._ He's on the phone with someone.

"Romania was not Accords-sanctioned. Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup."

"Try not to break anything while we fix this," Nat tells the three of us.

"No promises," I answer back.

We stand off to the side. I see Tony staring right at us.

"Consequences? You bet there'll be consequences. Obviously you can quote me on that, because I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir."

" "Consequences"?" Steve asks.

"Secretary Ross wants you three prosecuted. Had to give him something," Tony states.

"I'm NOT having my child in a cell Anthony," I shout.

I take one step and Steve already wraps an arm around my waist.

"Easy Grizzly Girl. You're gonna be fine."

"I'm not getting that shield back, am I?"

"Technically, it's the government's property," Nat answers, "Wings, too."

"That's cold," Sam says.

"Warmer than jail," Tony adds.

 _At least they said nothing about my stuff._ "Screw you Anthony."

I can feel Steve laughing a little. His lips press against the side of my head. I look up.

"Yes?" I ask.

He pulls me into a bone crushing hug whispering, "Thank god you two are ok."

"Just a little scratched up."

Steve pulls back. His blue eyes turn dark.

"Where?"

"What are the odds I get injured in the same place twice?" I joke a little.

"Where Izzy?" his tone hard and demanding.

"Same leg from Manhattan."

Steve squats down. He lifts my pants and feels around my calf. I feel him stopping.

"Steve?"

"There's nothing there."

"What?!"

I look down. It's true. T'Challa's scratch marks aren't there. Neither are my scars. I feel myself smiling. _The little stinker._

"I know who you can thank for that," I say softly.

Steve stands up. "Who?"

"Someone who takes after their dad," I smile.

He smiles too. Steve squats down again and kisses the bump.

"That's my boy."

"Or girl."

"I swear. You two just gave me diabetes," Sam complains.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, they belong to Marvel. I own my OC.**

Steve and I stand next to each other in the glass office. We can see everything that's going on. There are so many monitors, I have no clue which one to focus on. Steve, however, finds the one monitor to focus; Bucky's. _Oh Steve_. I rest my head on his shoulder. He pulls me in closer.

"Don't worry. He's going to be fine," I whisper.

"I'm not worried," he whispers back.

I scoff. "You and I both know that that's a big ass lie."

"Language."

My eyes find his. The expression on his face is his "business" face but his eyes glimmer with humor.

"I know you didn't just "language" me. You, Steven Grant Rogers, are in deep trouble," I joke.

Before Steve can retort, Tony cuts in. _What does he want now?_

"Hey, wanna see something cool?" he asks.

We turn to face him. Tony holds a small box in his hand. _I wonder what's in the box._

"I pulled something from Dad's archives. Felt timely."

Steve takes a seat in one of the office chairs. I _was_ going to sit in the one next to him but he has other ideas. He grabs my wrist gently pulling me into his lap. I give him a "Seriously?" face. Steve shrugs. _Guess he doesn't care anymore._

So I make myself comfortable by curling into a ball as I rest my head on his chest. I snuggle for a bit until I feel satisfied. _This is nice._ Tony turns to us. It looks like he's going to say something about us. He doesn't. _Guess I'm wrong._

"FDR signed the Lend-Lease bill with these in 1941," Tony lays the box on the table and opens it.

 _Pens? Seriously Tony?_

I'm perplexed. I see Steve with a solemn look on his face. _Why do you look like you're hiding something Steve? Does it have to do with Howard?_

"Provided support to the Allies when they needed it the most."

"Some would say it brought our country closer to war."

I choose to remain silent.

"See? If not for these, you wouldn't be here."

 _Screw it._ I hop out of Steve's lap. Grabbing Tony by his tie, I pull him in close to my face.

In a low voice, I slightly threaten. "I dare you to repeat that Anthony. Not sure if it's the hormones or something else but I've been itching to punch someone since they put us in this office. Want to be the new punching bag?"

I make a fist with my other hand. Tony places his hand on my hand; the one holding his tie.

"Can you not wrinkle the tie? It's designer."

 _This Oedipus._ I raise my fist. Unfortunately, I don't get the chance to punch him. Steve grabs my punching hand and pulls me away from Tony. I watch him fix his tie and continues to talk as if I hadn't just threatened him.

"I'm trying too…what do you call it?" he sits down, "That's an olive branch. Is that what you call it?"

"Yes," I state.

"Is Pepper here? I didn't see her," Steve mentions.

 _Pepper? If anyone can get Tony under control, it's her._ I look around trying to find the strawberry blonde hair I know and love.

"We're kinda…"

My head snaps back to Tony.

"Kinda what?" I raise a brow.

"Well, not kinda…"

"Pregnant?" Steve asks.

"No. Definitely not. We're taking a break."

"What? Why?" I grill him.

"Easy Grizzly Girl. It's nobody's fault."

"I'm so sorry, Tony. I didn't know," Steve softly says.

"A few years ago, I almost lost her, so I trashed all my suits. Then, we had to mop up HYDRA…and then Ultron. My fault."

 _No shit Sherlock._ I frown at him.

"And then, and then, and then, I never stopped. Because the truth is I don't wanna stop. I don't wanna lose her. I thought maybe the Accords could split the difference." Tony stands up, "In her defense, I'm a handful."

"Wow! I had _no_ idea," I retort.

"Izzy," Steve reprimands me.

Tony continues as usual, again.

"Yet, Dad was a pain in the ass, but he and Mom always made it work."

"You know, I'm glad Howard got married. I only knew him when he was young and single."

Tony turns to look at us. "Oh, really? You two knew each other? He never mentioned that. Maybe only a thousand times." He puts on his jacket, "God, I hated you."

 _Why's he being such an ass?_ I glance at Steve. My heart clenches at his expression. The "everything is my fault" face is on. _Oh Steve._

"I don't mean to make things difficult."

"I know, because you're a very polite person."

"And me?" I ask.

"You're the definition of difficult. I look through a dictionary and find a picture of you under the word," Tony states.

"And you're the definition of an asshole," I retort.

"Damn Rogers. You sure know how to pick 'em," Tony tells Steve.

I can feel Steve smirking on the inside. _Don't let Tony get under the skin. He's not worth it._ Steve pulls me in closer until my back touches his chest. Tony walks over to the other side of Steve. He swings the chair to face Tony.

"If I see a situation pointed south…I can't ignore it. Sometimes I wish I could," Steve states.

Tony shakes his head. "No, you don't."

Steve smiles, "No, I don't."

"Ain't that the truth," I add.

I feel both pairs of eyes staring at me. I look between them.

"What?"

"You're one to talk," they chorus.

I only shrug.

"Sometimes…" Steve's cut short.

"Sometimes I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth," Tony looks at me, "Sometimes I wanna send you into space. But I don't wanna see you gone. We need you, Cap. You too, Izzy. So far, nothing's happened that can't be undone, if you two sign. We can make the last 24 hours legit. Barnes gets transferred to an American pysch-center…instead of a Wakandan prison."

Steve turns the chair to face the desk. I watch him pick up one of the pens. _He's not going to sign, is he?_ Steve starts to get up. I get out of his lap and sit back down in the chair again. The pen is still in his hand. He walks to the opposite of the office.

Both men stand on either side of me. Steve to my left. Tony to my right. I'm still sitting. I've had enough time standing on my feet. _Oedipus, I think my feet are swollen._ I want to take my shoes off and massage my feet but Tony will _definitely_ make fun of me for it.

Steve walks to the glass wall then turns looking at Tony. His hands fumbling around with the pen. I can't help shake this feeling Steve's hiding something from Tony. _What's going on inside that head of yours?_

"I'm not saying it's impossible…but there would have to be safeguards."

 _The fuck?!_ "You can't be serious Steve!"

"Sure. Once we put out the PR fire, those documents can be amended." Tony takes the seat to my right, "I'd file a motion to have you, Izzy, and Wanda reinstated…"

"Wanda? What about Wanda?" Steve asks.

I turn my gaze to the man sitting next to me, "Anthony, what did you do?"

"She's fine. She's confined to the compound, currently. Vision's keeping her company."

I can't believe what I'm hearing. He's practically made the compound into a goddamn prison! _This man._ I stand up and stand next to Steve but not before giving the billionaire a piece of my mind.

"Anthony Howard Stark. I _know_ you didn't put that sweet summer child under house arrest for something she has no control over. You son of a bitch! I can't believe you actually did that. For the love of God, WHY?! Oh wait, I know the answer. It's because you can't control her like you can with your damn suits. Wanda Maximoff is a member of the human race and should be treated as one. She's not one of your failed suits that end up in the scrap heap!"

"Izzy," I hear Steve's voice go soft.

"What?" I yell at him.

Steve discreetly motions his head towards eyes staring at us, mostly me. Normally, I don't like drawing attention to myself but I've had enough of this bullshit circus.

I stare down at all of them. "If you got something to say to me then get your asses in here and say it to my face. If not, mind your own damn businesses."

All of them look away. _Assholes._

"Oh, God, Tony." Now it's Steve's turn to be disappointed by our resident Stark. Hell, he starts to walk away from the man, "Every time I think you see things the right way…"

Steve turns to face Tony. The man cuts him off.

"It's 100 acres with a lap pool. It's got a screening room. There's worse ways to protect people."

"Protection?" Steve and I say in sync.

Steve continues, "Is that how you see this? This is protection? It's internment, Tony."

"She's not a US citizen."

"Seriously, that's your argument!?"

"Oh, come on, Tony."

"And they don't grant visas to weapons of mass destruction."

"Wanda's not a weapon for God's sake!" I start.

"She's a kid!" Steve shouts finishing my train of thought.

"Give me a break," Tony yells.

A quick second of silence falls on us. Steve and I use it to calm down. Tony continues.

"I'm doing what has to be done. To stave off something worse."

"Just because it has to be done doesn't make it right Tony," my voice sounding soft to my ears.

Steve has his "I'm disappointed in you" face while talking to Tony, "You keep telling yourself that."

Tony doesn't say anything. Steve lifts up the pen in his hand then tosses it next to the open case.

"Hate to break up the set," and he walks out of the office.

I take a moment to watch Tony. He puts on his sunglasses. Why? I don't know. Tony turns back to me. We don't say anything for a second. He opens his mouth but I cut him off.

"Just…don't. This shouldn't even be happening. All of us were supposed to be celebrating my pregnancy, not tearing each other apart. I'm not mad at you Tony but I am disappointed though."

I've said my piece to him. Tony doesn't respond. Not wanting to spend another minute with him, I go after my boyfriend. I find Steve by the janitor's closet. It's far enough from Tony but not too far to make someone suspicious about his whereabouts. His shoulders rise and fall like he's meditating.

Walking closer to him, I lace my fingers with his. Our hands grasp each other tightly. I watch him, waiting patiently for him to lift his head so I can see his eyes. After a while he finally does. There in his eyes are the faded emotions of anger and rage but all that's left are disappointment, sadness and worry.

I keep my mouth closed and cup his face. He leans in so our foreheads touch. Steve finally talks.

"I'm so sorry Izzy. You shouldn't be here, not during your pregnancy."

"Steve, what do I always say?"

I watch the corner of his mouth twitching upward, "Wherever you go, I go."

"Well yes but not the one I was thinking of," I smile at him.

He laughs. "I'm reckless, not a coward."

 _I'm glad he can still laugh._ "And don't you forget it."

The man pulls me in for a tight hug. I can feel both of his hands on me; one holding the back of my head, the other on the middle of my back. We look at each other then share a kiss. The kiss seems to go on forever until someone decides to make their presence known by clearing their throat. We break apart to find Sam next to us. _Killjoy._

"They're starting the psych eval. Thought you might want to watch."

Steve nods. I pout. Sam shakes his head at us.

"What?" I ask.

"I can't believe you two. You're acting like a couple of high schoolers getting it on by the janitor's closet trying not to get caught by teachers or the principal."

I sigh, "We _really_ need to find you a girlfriend Sam."

Sam wags his finger at me. "Uh-uh. Don't you try changing the subject and turning the attention to me. Not cool."

"But seriously though…"

Sam cuts me off, "Izzy, you know I love you like a sister and you're my girl but I will _not_ have this conversation with you at this moment."

"Fine. But we _will_ have this conversation in the near future."

I head back to the office. Thanks to my enhanced hearing, I catch Sam whispering/complaining to Steve.

"You just _had_ to date her, didn't you?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, they belong to Marvel. I own my OC.**

We go back into the jail cell…sorry, glass office. Steve and I stand watching but we get no sound so we have no idea what the man's saying. Sam's sitting down at the table. Sharon enters the office.

"The receipt for your gear."

I look over my shoulder. She walks a bit closer to us after handing Sam his receipt for the Falcon suit.

" 'Bird costume'? Come on."

"I didn't write it."

"And what about my gear? That's definitely _not_ government property," I ask.

"Tony said he's keeping it since it's made from Stark Tech," she answers.

I frown and turn back to the monitors muttering, "Damn Oedipus."

Suddenly, I hear the psychologist's voice. I look up to the monitor in the office to find a live stream of Bucky's psych eval. Steve watches too. Gee, I wonder who did that. _She's starting to get on my nerves._

"I'm not here to judge you."

Steve glances around to see if anyone's notice yet. Thankfully they haven't. He discreetly turns his attention back to the eval. I watch Sharon for a few seconds. _Just what is her endgame?_

"Do you know where you are, James?"

I turn my attention back to the monitor.

"I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James."

"My name is Bucky," Bucky finally responds.

"At least he's finally talking," I admit to myself.

Steve faces Sharon and Sam. I've known this man for years now and I know when he's just about figured out some sort of conspiracy. _This should be good_.

"Why would the Task Force release this photo to begin with?" Steve wonders.

"Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?" Sharon answers.

"Right. It's a good way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier."

"You're saying someone framed him to find him?"

"Steve, we looked for the guy for two years and found nothing," Sam states.

"We didn't bomb the UN. That turns a lot of heads."

"Yeah, but that doesn't guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. It guarantees that we would," Sharon adds.

"Unless that's what they were counting on. We do all the work and all they have to do is…sneak…in," I say slowly as realization washes over me.

All of us look back to the live feed.

"Yeah," is all Steve says.

"Tell me, Bucky. You've seen a great deal, haven't you?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"You fear that if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop."

"We just hand delivered Bucky to the man that framed him. We _have_ to get him out," I state.

"Izzy, we don't know who's after him. Just calm down."

I start to pace around the room trying to come up with a way to get Bucky out. _You know what? Fuck it._

"Fuck it. I'm getting him out," I head for the doors.

"Izzy, don't."

"Girl, I know you're reckless but this is too much even for you."

"I highly recommend against doing that," Sharon adds.

I turn around. "I didn't ask for your opinion Agent Carter but I'll take it under consideration."

Before I leave, the power goes out. _Perfect._ I look to everyone with a "Are we going or what?" face.

"Sub-level five, East Wing," Sharon finally tells us.

We book it out of there. As usual Steve's running faster than a normal human but guess what? I _finally_ get to catch up to him. It feels so easy and I'm barely breaking a sweat. Glancing behind me, I see Sam struggling just a smidge.

"Does someone need to catch their breath?" I smile at him.

"Not funny," he deadpans.

"It's a little funny. Next thing you know, I'll be saying 'On your right'."

"God help me," Sam shakes his head.

We reach our destination. Steve notices a guard on the ground not moving. I check his pulse. It's there. The man is only out cold. Thank god. Steve walks ahead. Sam and I following him. We hear a faint cry for help.

"Help. Help me."

I watch Steve march towards the "psychologist" the Task Force got. They couldn't get a woman psychologist? This wouldn't be happening if they gotten a woman to do the job. Just from the way Steve's walking I know he's beyond pissed.

"Get up," Steve picks him up and holds against the wall. "Who are you? What do you want?"

I walk in after and stand by Steve's side.

"I'd tell him if I were you. He's actually the nicer one."

"To see an empire fall."

"And what the hell is that suppose to—"

The sound of fighting grabs my attention. Turning around, I just finish watching Bucky tossing Sam across the room like a child having a tantrum. Steve goes to fight Bucky while I stay behind. I turn back to the "psychologist."

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Out."

"Yeah, right," I throw the first punch.

He catches it. I throw another one. This time he dodges. The bastard twists my wrist nearly snapping it. He lets my wrist go and runs out of dodge. I fall onto my knees clutching my wrist. What an asshole.

His steps sound more distant as each second passes. I gaze behind me to find Sam opening his eyes. They lock onto me for a second then over to the guy behind me.

"Hey."

Sam stands up and helps me up. We walk out. I notice the hole in the elevator door. There's no sign of Bucky anywhere. I've got the feeling that Steve's down the elevator shaft.

"Go after him. I'm helping Steve."

"You sure?"

"Go!"

He runs after the real villain. Once I learn his name, he's going to pay. Peering down the shaft, I shout.

"Steve? I swear if you're dead, I'm going to kill you!"

His laughter reaches my ears, "Kind of defeats the purpose of being dead. Don't you think?"

"Shut it smartass. Just get up here. I lost Bucky."

"I'll be up in a minute."

Grunting and foot movement echoes inside the shaft. Guess he's climbing his way up. I can't do much except to wait. Or can I?

"I wonder…"

Rubbing my hands together, I ready myself to rip the shaft door open. I pull as hard as I can. The sound of metal bending and groaning vibrates everywhere.

"Well, would you look at that? I'm a metal bender," I joke.

"Izzy? What are you doing?"

"Opening the door. What do you think I'm doing?!" I growl.

"Don't. You're going to strain yourself."

"Does it sound like I give a fuck?"

"Language!"

"Now's not the time for etiquette lessons Rogers!"

"Please God, don't let my kid be like her," Steve whispers.

"I heard that! You're in an elevator shaft idiot, everything echoes in there."

He sounds closer than before. I'm still pulling the door open then stop. The hole's bigger now so he should get out easily. A small patch of dirty blond hair shows up.

"Give me your hand Steve."

A hand pops out. I grab onto it and pull him out. I'm seriously loving the super strength. Steve stands up. He notes the hole got bigger. The man looks back at me.

"You didn't—"

"Super strength. I'm guessing that I'll be able to do the same things as you which means I'm gonna have to eat probably three times as you."

"Am I going to have to go on food craving runs at midnight?" Steve smiles.

"Yep. Better get used to it Rogers, I've got six more months of this."

Steve kisses me on lips. His lips are soft and tender. God, this man is the best kisser ever. He ends it.

"Let's go."

I nod. We run after Bucky. After running up so…many…stairs, we make it to the roof. Right as Steve opens the door, Bucky's already inside the helicopter and planning to take off. I catch Steve's eyes. They shine with determination.

"Stop lollygagging and go after him!"

Steve runs for the copter. The damn bird's already rising into the air and that's when Steve does something incredibly stupid. When he reaches the heli-pad, he jumps into the goddamn air and grabs onto the landing leg of the helicopter. Using his weight and strength, Steve manages to bring the helicopter down as much as he can.

Bucky moves the helicopter closer to the edge dragging Steve with him. Steve grabs onto the ledge and pulls. I can see his biceps bulging and lose myself for a minute there. _Of course_ , the minute Steve shows off his muscles I get horny as hell. Bucky swings the copter closer to the pad. Steve lets go and jumps out of the way from being crushed.

The stupid thing _actually_ crashes into the pad. It swings. I watch as the blade of the tail swings dangerously close to Steve's head. I can't help but shout.

"Duck!"

He does. Thank God, he didn't do that stupid thing where he looks for an actual duck. The helicopter stops moving. Everything seems to have calmed down. Suddenly, Bucky's metal arm smashes through the windshield like that scene from Alien when the baby bursts out of the guy's chest cavity. His hand wraps around Steve's neck, choking him.

"Steve!"

I start to run towards them. Steve waves me off. Like I'm actually going to listen to him. That's when I hear a sound I'm not liking one bit. The helicopter begins to groan and slowly fall backwards down into the river down below. I pick up my pace screaming at the top of my lungs.

"STEVE!"

Everything goes into slow motion like Adam Sandler clicked the "slow motion" button on the universal remote control. It feels like I'm just running in place and nowhere getting closer to him. Finally, they tip over and into the river. Am I going to follow? Hell yeah, I am. I run at full speed.

"I'm going to get an earful after this," I mutter.

When I reach the edge, I jump off with my legs still running. The river's fast approaching so I straighten my legs and hit the water. Bubbles surround me. I swim down to the bottom only to find the pilot seat empty and no Steve in sight. Something grabs my wrist. I pull out a knife and turn ready to stab whoever or whatever grabbed me. Turns out it's Steve. He looks somewhere between angry and not really surprised to see me.

Steve motions for me to follow him. I do. We swim for a while until we're far enough from the building. I'm pretty sure that they're looking for us right now but at the moment, I really don't care. We get far enough that we're able to break the surface of the water without drawing any attention. Steve raises Bucky's head above the water. He's out cold. I think he hit his head _really_ hard.

"Think he's going to be okay?"

"Yeah, he's got a thick skull."

"Sounds like someone I know," I roll my eyes.

"Heh. You're one to talk."

"Oh shut up Rogers. Let's just get out of here."

He nods. We swim towards the river bank. Steve struggles by keeping Bucky's head up. I help as much as I can. Better to have two people with super strength to move an unconscious ex-assassin than just one. After what feels like hours, we finally reach the river's bank. I crawl out first without too much arm movement since they decided to turn into jelly.

"Damn…I need to go back to the gym," I pant.

"Need a hand?"

Squinting up, there stands Sam with a hand out. I grab it.

"Thanks."

He helps me up. Steve drags Bucky onto the bank. My baby daddy…wait, can't call him that. It sounds too weird. Steve takes a minute to catch his breath. His eyes lock onto me.

"That has got to be the most dumbest and reckless stunt you've pulled in all of the time I've known you."

"What did you expect me to do? Stay there and be arrested again? I wasn't going to let that happen."

"You could've met up with Sam outside."

"So, you wanted me to go back through a high security facility without getting caught by either Tony, Nat or any other agent crawling throughout the place rather than jumping off the building which is the fastest escape route. Oh yeah, that makes _total_ sense."

"You know what—"

"As much as I would love to continue watching you guys argue, I think it's time we move."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Girl," Sam raises a brow.

"Yes, sorry. Just a _smidge_ pissed that the asshole managed to get away. What I would give to wrap my hands around his neck." I breathe deeply, "Anyway, what are we going to do with the literal dead weight?"

"Follow me," Steve orders.

He drapes one of Bucky's arms around his shoulder while Sam does the same with the other arm. I follow behind keeping an eye out for any unwanted guests.

* * *

We find an abandoned auto body shop. Steve puts Bucky into a machine to keep the man's metal arm in place. With that done, Sam volunteered to keep an eye on him while Steve and I are on lookout. We head over to one of the doors and just kept an eye out for anything through the small opening. He doesn't speak. Neither do I but I can just _feel_ Steve wanting to say something. Don't know how, could be instinct or could be the fact that I've known him for a long time now and I know how he thinks.

"C'mon Steve. I know you want to talk. Go ahead, chew my ass out."

He sighs. "Not this time." Steve kisses my forehead, "Just glad you're not hurt. The both of you."

"Steve…" I glance away.

"Yeah?"

"I know we haven't really talked about any of this baby business. Making Wanda and Nat the baby's godmothers happened on a whim but I felt that they would do whatever it takes to raise our child. We barely got baby names down. I have one guy in mind to be the godfather and another one but we'll get to that in a second. Now, I have an idea and I'm not sure if you're going to like it or not."

"What idea?"

"I…I was thinking about giving the baby a middle name."

His hands cup my face and gently lifts my head. We stare into each other's souls. I can even see the smile in his eyes.

"I think that's a wonder idea. Have any in mind?"

"Well—"

The sound of a copter breaks our moment. Damn thing. I'm tired of those things now. We turn to the sky and spot one. Luckily, it hasn't spotted us. Who knows how long it'll keep searching for us. God, I hope they leave soon.

"Hey, Cap! Iz!"

"Guess he's awake," I mutter.

We jog over to the other room where we keep Bucky. The poor man groans. Can't really blame him. Hitting your head after crashing into the river and waking up from a killer trance will give _anyone_ a splitting headache.

"Steve."

"Which Bucky am I talking to?"

"I prefer the one who isn't the killer assassin," I add.

"Your mom's name is Sarah," Bucky rambles a past memory. "You used to wear newspapers in your shoes."

"Can't read that in a museum."

"Did he now? Oh, please tell me more about the embarrassing things Steve's done," I jokingly beg.

"Just like that, we're supposed to be cool?" Sam fumes.

"Yep," I answer.

"What did I do?"

"Enough."

"Oh, God, I knew this would happen. Everything HYDRA put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say the goddamn words."

"Who was he?"

"I don't know."

"People are dead. The bombing, the set up…the doctor did all that just to get 10 minutes with you. I need you to do better than "I don't know"."

I step in. "Ease up a little. The man _just_ came out of his "Psycho" trance. Give him a second."

"He wanted to know about Siberia." Bucky pauses, "Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where."

"See? Told you."

"Why would he need to know that?"

"Because I'm not the only Winter Soldier."

"Excuse me? Please tell me I didn't just hear him say that," I pinch the bridge of my nose.

"Who were they?"

"Their most elite death squad. More kills than anyone in HYDRA history. And that was before the serum."

"They all turn out like you?" Sam asks.

"Worse."

"Well, that's just great!"

Note the sarcastic tone. I start to tap my foot out of nervousness.

"The doctor, could he control them?"

"Enough."

"Said he wanted the see an empire fall."

"The Roman Empire? A few thousand years late on that one," I cross my arms over my chest.

"With these guys, he could do it. They speak 30 languages, can hide in plain sight…infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize. They can take a whole country down in one night, you'd never see them coming."

An unsettling feeling begins making its way into my stomach. I sit down resting my head on my knees. I breathe through my nose and out my mouth. Doing this a few times will calm my stomach so I won't puke everywhere. Two pairs of eyes burn at the back of my head. I know it's Steve and Sam. They worry. Can't really blame them so I raise a thumbs up saying that I'm good.

Bucky stops talking. I can hear Sam talking to Steve softly. Pretty sure Bucky can hear him too but doesn't say it out loud.

"This would have been a lot easier a week ago."

"If we call Tony…" Steve tries to reason.

"No, he won't believe us."

"Got that right," I mutter.

"Even if he did…"

"Who knows if the Accords would let him help."

"We're on our own."

"Maybe not. I know a guy."

I know the guy he's talking about. That day was awesome. Lifting my head, I turn with a smirk.

"This guy wouldn't happen to be a Tic-Tac, would he?"

Sam pouts. Steve's confused. I just laugh at the two of them. Feeling someone watching me, I turn to find Bucky staring at me intensely.

"Are you okay?"

"Lucy?"

Strange. I don't know any family member named Lucy. Actually, I don't know much about my family. My folks never got around to telling me anything about their families. Maybe I have some great aunt Lucy or something.

I shake my head. "Sorry to burst your bubble. I'm Isabell but everyone calls me Izzy."

He looks away. "Sorry. You reminded me of someone."

The man is in serious need of a hug. I can't go through a day without at least one hug. That's the only reason why I managed not to kill myself while in college. I stand up and walk over to him. Now I'm waiting for Steve and Sam to say something.

"Izzy?"

"What do you think you're doing?"

And there it is. I wave them off.

"Something I think that's right so just calm your tits."

Bucky turns his gaze back onto me. He's curious and a little terrified. I guess he thinks he's going to revert back to the Winter Soldier and kill me or something. _Hopefully_ , that doesn't happen. It would suck…big time. The man leans back.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to give you a hug. You need one."

"No, I don't. Step back. I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't. Now shut up and accept the hug. Hugs help you feel better because your brain releases a chemical that makes you relaxed and happier."

I hug him. My arms wrap around his neck and pull him in closer. He's stiff which is normal for someone who's not used to physical contact in such a long time.

"You _can_ hug back if you want. I promise you're not going to hurt me," I whisper.

Bucky hesitates. I'm not expecting him to actually hug me back. That's when he does. I can tell it's his human arm because I can feel the muscles. We hug for a few more minutes then he lets go first. I take a step back and smile.

"Well, would you look at that? I'm still alive and not writhing in pain on the ground."

Bucky cracks a smile. He looks over at Steve.

"This your girl?"

"Yeah. Careful though, she's a fighter."

The ex-assassin turns his eyes back on me. They stare at me more intensely than before. I watch his brows scrunch up like he's trying to find something wrong with me. Guessing he figured it out by the way his face got a whole lot darker.

"She shouldn't be here while being three months pregnant."

Steve snorts, "Try telling her that. Doesn't listen to a word I say and always does something stupid."

"Hold up," I shout. "Two things: 1) How the fuck did you know I'm three months pregnant? 2) I don't do stupid shit. I do reckless shit. There's a difference between them."

"No there's not," Steve argues.

"Yes there is. Besides, I follow my motto: I'm reckless, not a coward."

"I don't know why I even _try_ to have this conversation with you."

"Because we always reach a stalemate. Now will you relax? I'll be fine."

"Oh, God, there's two of them now," Bucky mutters.

"Got that right," Sam adds.

I spin on my heel. "Listen here Wilson. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself and I don't need to be treated like glass because I'm pregnant. If you got a problem with that then we can go for a few rounds. I promise you I won't hold back."

"I like her."

"Hard not to."

"She's not so bad, just a pain in the ass."

"Says the man who lost a fight to Tic-Tac."

Sam pouts, "Not cool Iz. Not cool."

I only smile. Sam is definitely going to be one of the godfathers and I want to make Bucky the other one. I just hope Steve approves. Steve notices my slight nod. He walks over. I whisper in his ear. The man nods with a smile on his face.

"I think that's a great idea."

"No objections?"

"None."

"Want to do the honors?"

"I'll leave it to you."

I look between Sam and Bucky. "Before I start," I turn to Bucky, "I never got to ask. What do you want me to call you? I want to make you feel comfortable."

He blinks, "James."

"Can I call you Jimmy?"

"No."

"Jim?"

Bucky stops to think about it. He nods. I smile.

"Well, Sam, Jim, you two are going to be the baby's godfathers. I don't want to hear any complaining from either of you."

"No complaints over here."

"Are you forgetting that I'm the Winter Soldier? I've killed people for over 70 years. I'm not going to do it."

"You've done it now," Sam mutters.

I breathe in deeply. My hands flex in and out. It's taking all of my will power not to punch him in the face.

"Listen and listen closely because I'm only going to say this once. _Never_ argue with a pregnant woman at least not one who's carrying Steve Rogers' child and _happens_ to have the same abilities as him. So I'd choose my words carefully in the future unless you want to go for a round. Do I make myself clear?"

"Momma Bear appeared. Watch out for the claws," Sam snickers.

"Shut up Sam."


End file.
